[Oonakayama Takato]

This Is For the Future

For The Days To Come

Moon and starlight washed over the desert that night illuminating the dunes and rocks and the scattered palm trees. It was eerily quiet, as if life and commerce had seized in the great city at the edge of the desert. The lights that were beacons from sailors and travelers were snuffed out and not even the breeze from the sea dared to pass over the walls into the roofs and the pyramidal structures. Life had being snuffed and those that still lived and resided inside in between the walls did so with fear of the creature, the demon, the deadly apparition that brought a malign portent. Or so he had heard.

Each step brought the Kazekage over, brown eyes locked ahead as he passed by abandoned hamlets and ruined structures on his part to Rōran. As his eyes fell upon its shape his features tightened, lips pressed together in a scowl that showed displeasure as his tracks were left upon the sand. He saw the evidence mounting, he saw the destruction that had begun, the remains of the dead picked up by scavengers becoming more and more evident until he reached the main gate into the city, twin desert dragons, the giant lizards that lived in the depths of the country guarding it in vain as wood had been splintered and smashed beyond repair.

His hand reached for the destruction as he wondered what force could do that? The gate had been a marvel of construction, the special manner of its crafting had been made to withstand any siege. The idea that only a single being could wrought such destruction wasn't implausible. It was simply unlikely, too astronomical to actually be considered, specially in his country. But he saw the signs, he saw the dead, he heard the warnings and ramblings of those that he had sent to deal with the issue, good men and women, stalwart but consumed by a crippling madness that he didn't understand.

Takato stepped into the city, a square received him as a statue erected to the First Kazekage and the Daimyo shaking hands stood proudly, but around it, there was only dead, destruction and misery. People still lived in the city, but they did so in fear, they did so as the stench of decay and entropy fell over them as a curtain and as the Kazekage stepped into the city he felt a shiver run down his spine. "Whatever did this... is inhuman..." He muttered to himself.

Ekibyō to Shi

431

notes

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Ekibyō to Shi]

template by punki of adoxography

i was what you are,
you will be what i am 

Roran, she had heard, was meant to be a wonderful marvel of architecture and beauty. People were supposedly thriving off the riches that the city of the Daimyo brought, living life in moderate luxury without a care to the world. 

Once upon a time there had been a man in distant past life that had been from Rohan; Haku, he had been called. To her past self he had been the love of her life, he had chased her across the countries hoping to bring her home and in his own words, snap her out of whatever foul nightmare she had been placed under.

Except it hadn't been a nightmare, it had been enraptured enlightenment. And he had been too simple to understand the better calling. So she had ripped his eyes out and as he'd laid dying she'd given her greatest gift to him, the words of Akui. He'd died choking in his own blood and her transcendence had been granted. 

But that didn't mean Kaze no Kuni didn't want vengeance for one of their shinobi being murdered so brutally and left out for the crows as carrion. And so she had heard of the intense search upon her, sensing a moment where her word could be spread so easily to those that would have no choice but to listen.

It had started with the smaller hamlets first, those that sat in the nearby dunes of Roran. Those who had listened to her had found their hearts infected with malice and darkness and some had kneeled to her presence, accepting the righteous word. Others who had defied her chaos had been tossed to one side like a child no longer interested with their toys.  

And she had not stopped until she had walked the streets of Roran, looking for those who would bend their knee and removing those who would defy His word. Her white dress was bloodied, but not her own black blood. No one had managed to put a scratch on her. Her feet would walk the broken and hollowed streets of the Capital searching out those who would try to defy her. But the longer the night waned on, the less shinobi came and only those that whispered the calling of Akui for fear of their life remained. 

The sun was beginning to set, but that made no never mind to Shi, death had no concept of time. Malice had only one calling, to spread like a festering wound. 

It was the sudden life in the city square that had broken her wandering. 

A man broke cover from the hidden walls further down the street, sprinting towards the square where Kage and Daimyo stood shaking hands immemorial. She'd tilt her head, long white hair blowing in the gentle breeze, curious where he had gotten the courage to stop speaking His word. And then she'd [step] forwards, leaving nothing but a shadow cast against the sun as she caught him within seconds. He was no one, in effect, but chaos did not spread without a few sacrifices. 

A hand wrapped around the man's skull as he squealed in fright, fingers would squeeze until a satisfying crunch could be heard as his skull caved in to the pressure of her fingers. He'd die instantly, life leaving his body trailing along the floor, heavy feet leaving rivets in the sandy floor. And she'd hold him as she walked in the direction to which he was running, dragging blood and mess along behind them as her red eyes curiously wondered what would have convinced the man to run so carelessly to the gates. 

Into the square she would walk, achingly slow, red pulsating scars across her body thrumming with life and energy. And there he'd be, who he was she didn't know, but with the sun at his back he looked righteous enough. The woman would come to a halt on the opposite side of the square, red eyes never leaving the newcomers face. The ragdoll body would be dropped by the demons side as she watched the new man study the area. 

Brave, wasn't he? 

Darkness would engulf the square, not the darkness of night, but the darkness that came with death and emptiness. The woman radiated dread, coldness and loneliness. Even in a city with so many hiding, the whispers of the cult would be screaming at the man from those that wished to preserve their life; Takato would be alone in his task even as the dying of the light stood at his back and the woman, who had not said a single word, had all of hell at her own. 

SPOILER: Click to show

Abilities in Use:

Dark Whispers
Gives all members of the cult the ability to emit a dark feeling of dread and coldness. The main use though is the ability to influence those around them by influencing their fears and emotions in an effort to seduce them and make them more malleable to the corruption and advances of cult members. The effect is usually not noticeable and starts with enabling the affected to experience heightened emotions while slowly bring the darker ones to the surface until finally the victim willing does them or joins the cult.

Oonakayama Takato

[Oonakayama Takato]

This Is For the Future

For The Days To Come

He heard the screams of pain, the sliding of feet over the sand and cobble stone and the wet crunch of bone, brain and vitae fallowed by a thud. A piercing cold invaded him, colder than he had ever felt in his life, as he had dared to walked naked in a tundra in the midst of a blizzard. But as shadows parted and they revealed the shape of a demon, it didn't came in the form of a bestial creature or an imagined horror from the chasms of the world. But from the sight of a woman that looked far too small to pose danger. Marks appeared around her body, shining red with the distant crackle of thunder. This woman. This being was not interested in words, no trading of beliefs. She just wanted death.

Takato closed his eyes for a second, staying still like a statue as he released his chakra. It began first with an subtle extension of his index and the quiet whisper of metal, particles of iron sand floated about. Thin nebulae formed around him and with the flick of fingers the grains would begin to collapse one into another, creating pellets that floated for an ephemeral instant as a tang of metal impregnated the very air. It began with one pellet and then another and then another as they hovered around the Iron Lord as he awaited to see who would make the first daring movie.

An instant became an eternity, a life time as both the Kazekage and the Monster exchanged glares until the Kazekage acted first. The ground had being prepared in a sort of way and without the need of a extravagant flourish of his hands. The bullets flew, pellets whistling in the dark struck by moonlight as they flew to strike at the woman not as a deathblow but as an opening salvo.

Ekibyō to Shi

329

notes

MADE BY VEL OF GS

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used:

NAME: Satetsu Shigure [Iron Sand Drizzle]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
A gunshot-like attack which uses Iron Sand hardened into minuscule grains to attack simultaneously across a range of thirty-five meters. The bullets are incredibly difficult to see but not impossible. The moment the user has finished preparing the attack, evading it becomes extremely difficult. Using the repellent force of magnetism, the speed of the bullets is rapidly increased after they are shot. Furthermore, the user can also use an attack pattern where the Iron Sand bullets are shaped into sharp needles, increasing their ability to wound or kill the opponent.

NAME: Satetsu no Kanchi [Iron Sand Sensing]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
By dispersing iron sand into a specific area, the user is able to discern the presence of bodies that come into direct contact with it. This sensing sand can be spread across a wide terrain, or even float in the air allowing aerial foes to be detected. Once the sand comes in contact with a person, it will wrap itself around them, rendering even invisible targets, visible.

[Ekibyō to Shi]

template by punki of adoxography

i was what you are,
you will be what i am 

Not even a little small talk? How disappointing. Then again she had not offered him a simple thing as a hello, no, she'd been trying to work him out. And he had responded with silence and hostility off the mark. Not that she blamed him, it was hardly like her artwork warranted discussion for him. Though she'd have been happy to preach to him had he just asked. 

The man spent a little time forging his chakra and had she not been amused with his act of defiance, she might have moved faster than he could have reacted. Instead she'd allow him his little moment of vanity, watching as he formed sand around him. How interesting! 

So this man controlled sand at his whim? Well. Some kind of sand. It was noted and filed away in her brain. But then he'd launch the attack at her with a fury those who were emotionally hurt only achieved. Perhaps this place meant more to him than he wanted to let on. 

The sand needles were fast, but she was faster. And she wouldn't rush to move out of the way. Instead her foot shifted just slightly, hooking under the dead man's chin. She'd kick abruptly so that the body went flipping up into the air in front of her. The little bullets would pierce the dead body in front of her sending little poofs of misty blood floating into the air. 

There was nothing moral about her using the body as a shield, but then her work was sacrosanct and she'd not allow a man to simply get in her way. But he did intrigue her, like a cat catching an insect. Her face would be devoid of emotion, though, head tilting to the side as the body hit the floor and his attack was nullified. 

"Who is the man who walks into the city of the dead?" she'd ask, her voice had a foreign lilt to it; closer to those who resided in Hi no Kuni, yet it seemed otherworldly too as if her voice breached both the plane of living and dead at the same time. 

Still the whispers could be heard, increasing in magnitude at the man. 

SPOILER: Click to show

Abilities in Use:

Dark Whispers
Gives all members of the cult the ability to emit a dark feeling of dread and coldness. The main use though is the ability to influence those around them by influencing their fears and emotions in an effort to seduce them and make them more malleable to the corruption and advances of cult members. The effect is usually not noticeable and starts with enabling the affected to experience heightened emotions while slowly bring the darker ones to the surface until finally the victim willing does them or joins the cult.

Oonakayama Takato

[Oonakayama Takato]

This Is For the Future

For The Days To Come

Who is the man who walks into the city of the dead?The words pierced his mine like an stiletto, sounding almost too casual hinting just some mild amusement behind them. Was this a joke to this woman? The Kazekage pondered as his hands would begin to weave and wave as the nebulae of iron sand around him as well the one that he carried behind his back reacted. If there was a momentum, Takato would not let it go and he would certainly not give her the courtesy of giving her his name, even if he realized that this woman was faster than him. The sand before him became a wall, fortified itself in the matter of seconds before the man punched the air itself and if beckoned by an invisible hand the wall of Iron Sand flew as it it were a wave.

The wave glinted grey and dark in under the moonlit sky, swallowing the dead in the square, the damaged that had been wrought to the building, his hand would move as he punched the air again and again, following the path of the strange woman even as relayed to him by the particles of iron sand that floated about, consecutive waves of sand would ebb and flow, seeking to strike at the woman, tearing the very cobble of the plaza and making the statue of wobble in place as it was struck by waves of sand.

Takato stood as a thin shield of sand formed around him, sand slithered as the momentum of the attack died and silence would reign, falling like a shroud. He doubted that would have ended the woman, with the wide length of the waves and their speed, but something told him that she would either alive and annoyed by what he had gathered from her, or she could be wounded, buried under the sand as the rest of the death are. Either way, he was about to find out soon.

Ekibyō to Shi

337

notes

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Ekibyō to Shi]

template by punki of adoxography

i was what you are,
you will be what i am 

And waves upon waves of metallic sand would be thrown at the woman, Shi would tilt her head in curiosity. She might have looked small and fragile, but it was far from the truth. He'd think throwing a barrage would stop her making any progress forwards and then he'd attempt to surround himself in a defensive sand. 

But with the barrage came removed sight, with protection came blindness. And he'd not see the woman weaving around his sand attacks like a flickering mirage, such was the speed she was capable of. And the sphere was oh so pretty, casting small glimmers as the moonbeam shone down upon him. 

With momentum and speed came the crashing hand that would [pierce] through his sand wall as if it were eggshell, though it wasn't and simply a byproduct of her hand shattering his jutsu. A hand moved impossibly quickly to reach in and yank the Kazekage beyond his own defences and into her grasp. If successful she'd pull him close, just for a moment, to see what laid underneath that pesky hood - a brief grin followed - before [tossing] him wide across the damaged square with enough strength to leave a small crater if he didn't cushion his fall.

"Can you hear it?" she'd ask, raising her arms to her sides, "the whispers that seep into your heart? That makes your blood feel cold?"

She'd narrow her eyes at Takato.

"It is the sound of death coming for you."

SPOILER: Click to show

Abilities in Use:

Dark Whispers
Gives all members of the cult the ability to emit a dark feeling of dread and coldness. The main use though is the ability to influence those around them by influencing their fears and emotions in an effort to seduce them and make them more malleable to the corruption and advances of cult members. The effect is usually not noticeable and starts with enabling the affected to experience heightened emotions while slowly bring the darker ones to the surface until finally the victim willing does them or joins the cult.

SAs in Use:
Let Me Hit You
To ever be considered a capable Herald, Shi first had to prove herself. And prove herself she did. The woman is a titan among shinobi, muscles have known years of harsh and heavy conditioning, she is able to crack the ground with a blow and break through most non-chakra enhanced objects with enough effort. PSA: don't get punched in the face.



Catch It, Kill It

A young Shi might have scoffed at the idea of ever being fast enough to keep up with the elite. But now it is not a question of who is fastest. At baseline Shi is practically demonic, as a taijutsu practitioner who has devoted her entire life to training her body as a weapon her white frame can be a blur upon the battle ground to the untrained eye. Those of her level will find her wiley and hard to pin, but not impossible.

Oonakayama Takato

[Oonakayama Takato]

This Is For the Future

For The Days To Come

This woman, this being was certainly powerful. He could sense it as she would dodge the the wave of sand that he had tossed, he could perceived the moments she did with the unholy speed that whatever deity she revered gave her and he could see it as her hand pierced the shield he had erected as if it were the frail shell of an egg and he braced himself as her hand reached for him, pulling him away, the armor of compacted iron sand still about him as the creature would stare at him, eyes shining brightly with malice, receiving only contempt from him.

He timed his moment right, knowing that this woman was for all intends and purposes toying with him, iron sand slithering from his armor and shaping into form of a short dagger, in the ephemeral instances between being raised and tossed away like a helpless doll, the blade would seek to pierce the midsection of the woman, raising his arm up and dragging the dagger through her flesh as if he were carving the innards from a fish, as he would fly away, he recalled the sand back to him, his fingers outstretched as a nebulae of iron would race at the beckoning of its master.

Forming behind him thin sheet, the construct would then stop him, halting his momentum before if shifted and he stood over, creating some distance for him, hoping that the blade had might actually pierced and done damage, spilling her innards into the ruined cobbles of the plaza. "You..." The Kazekage spoke, eyeing at the woman from his floating pedestal. "Talk too much." The man said, raising his arms as the particles of iron sand above him became clouds and with suddenly released a piercing hail of iron sand that cracked the stonework, splintered wood and ruined the flesh and bone of the dead.

Ekibyō to Shi    

330

notes

MADE BY VEL OF GS

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used:


NAME: Satetsu Ha [Iron Sand Blade]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
By manipulating the Iron Sand the user create a dagger-length blade from his fingertips. Effective at cutting through must fabrics it is best used to pierce soft targets or unprotected areas.

NAME: Satetsu Fuyū [Iron Sand Suspension]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low-Very High
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
Using his iron sand, the user creates a platform that supports weight and is able to float, using it as a mean of transportation if needed. Additionally he can increase the size of the platform or create additional ones.

NAME: Satetsu no Yoroi [Iron Sand Armor]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
Using this technique, the user can cover himself in a compacted layer of Iron Sand, providing an additional physical defense. Though quite effective, maintaining the armour requires a large amount of chakra and stamina. Not only this, but it is nowhere near as resilient as the Iron Sand Shield, since it easily breaks away upon impact, indicating that the sole purpose of the armour is to absorb impact channeled unto the user's body during battle. Another weakness is the additional weight of the sand which leads to decreased levels of speed and mobility


NAME: Satetsu Arare [Iron Sand Hail]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
The user gathers Iron Sand into large clumps in the shape of massive boulder-like formations and then drops them from the sky on to her opponents. It covers a large range, making it difficult to dodge. The technique can distract the enemy with the aerial assault, leaving them open to an attack from below.

SA Used:

Jiton Mastery
Enhanced Reflexes
High Chakra Reserves
Tactician

[Ekibyō to Shi]

template by punki of adoxography

i was what you are,
you will be what i am 

He'd achieve as much as cutting her stomach and upwards, but it'd not achieve the level of damage he'd want. For her movements were quicker than his sand, a hand throwing him as the dagger reached out and dared touch the bloodstained red of her robe. And if it hit her, she'd not react, instead the Kazekage would be thrown clear and to deal with his own damage. But the woman was not interested so much in what the man was doing, an idle glance before looking at her nails. 

He'd cushion himself and the woman would tilt her head to the side, how drole. Up he'd get, floating a little into the air, armour forming back around him for support. Covering but not impenetrable. She'd just discovered that herself, he might have had enough sand to defend himself but his sand was not as quick as she could be. 

It would be why, as the man formed his hail, the white haired woman would stare up at him with indifference. She talked too much, he'd said, Shi smirked. Ah, so he could speak. And then, as he released his hail upon the ground piercing the dead and the buildings around him, she'd move faster than she had before. Barely a flash, a flicker hard to interpret with his own eyes much akin to a shadow in ones peripheral. 

But she'd not disappear into thin air. Instead, as the hail hit and pelted into the land around her, she'd stand under the protection of the statue erected to the First Kazekage. Dented it would be, but thick enough to defend from the sand rain. There'd be an almighty groaning noise, not borne of his own jutsu, and then a snap and crunch as the statue unrooted itself from the plinth. Except it wasn't unrooting itself, rather, being unrooted as the woman stared up at Kazekage. Not too long, enough to be noticeable. 

The statue would be thrown wide, of two men, towards the floating Kazekage and if the man went to defend, he'd notice the woman not where he had seen her last in the wake of the statue. 

SPOILER: Click to show

Abilities in Use:

Dark Whispers
Gives all members of the cult the ability to emit a dark feeling of dread and coldness. The main use though is the ability to influence those around them by influencing their fears and emotions in an effort to seduce them and make them more malleable to the corruption and advances of cult members. The effect is usually not noticeable and starts with enabling the affected to experience heightened emotions while slowly bring the darker ones to the surface until finally the victim willing does them or joins the cult.

SAs in Use:
Let Me Hit You
To ever be considered a capable Herald, Shi first had to prove herself. And prove herself she did. The woman is a titan among shinobi, muscles have known years of harsh and heavy conditioning, she is able to crack the ground with a blow and break through most non-chakra enhanced objects with enough effort. PSA: don't get punched in the face.



Catch It, Kill It

A young Shi might have scoffed at the idea of ever being fast enough to keep up with the elite. But now it is not a question of who is fastest. At baseline Shi is practically demonic, as a taijutsu practitioner who has devoted her entire life to training her body as a weapon her white frame can be a blur upon the battle ground to the untrained eye. Those of her level will find her wiley and hard to pin, but not impossible.


Jutsu Used:
SURPRISE! ONE SET UP!

Oonakayama Takato

[Oonakayama Takato]

This Is For the Future

For The Days To Come

He knew that he had cut her, pierced her at the very least, for as the hidden blade would lose its form, a trickle of blood would follow him. If it wasn't his then it had to hers. A hail of sand struck the soil, the cracking of stone and bone and steel became a rhythmic chorus, but even so the woman didn't care. She stared at him, moving at speeds that were impossible to follow with his eyes. As the hail died, the Kazekage flicked his index finger and the pellets that had become incrusted on the broken masonry, the bodies and statuary elevated slowly, creating a nebulae that would allow him to detect where she was.

It wouldn't take long for him to have an inkling of where she was as crack like the sound of a thunderbolt was heard, and his sight moved to the statue of the first Kazekage, faded in time and scarred, but unbroken until now, pieces of stone that had been carved into folds of clothing flew and soon the august visage of his predecessor was heard as the flew through the air as if it was a mere rag doll.

Takato reacted in the only that his body knew how and sand vented out of his gourd. A black nebulae like stellar dust covered him and a protective shield was erected before him, the crash of iron and stone reverberated through the entrance of the city, as pieces of stone skidded over the broken plaza. His hands came together in unison then, still in the darkness of the cocoon he had created, knowing that she would see this as the shell of an egg that she would break, allowing his chakra to call at every single grain of iron sand on his command, he prepared a trap and hoped that she would be there too eager to spring the trap.

Ekibyō to Shi

334

notes

MADE BY VEL OF GS

SPOILER: Click to show

SA Used:

Jiton Mastery

Being an Oonakayama in more than name, Takato is master of Jiton, by combining both Raiton and Doton he can create magnetic fields through which he can control and manipulate any metal he touches, namely in his case Iron Sand, for which he is renown in the world. His ability to give shape to the Sand into various weapons and defensive constructs are a testament to his tremendous skill, that make him a difficult opponent to fight due the nature of the Iron Sand.


Enhanced Reflexes

Despite not being a great Taijutsu user, Takato has developed keen reflexes and sharp eye to hand coordination. This allows him to react faster to attacks in order to prevent him from sustaining injuries. In tandem his attacks and counterattacks are also shown to be rather fast as well and effective with just a quick look he knows where his next move will be directed at.

Tactician

Takato is a man that keep his calm during combat. Whether it is on the defensive or offensive he always has in mind a back up plan for where things don't go as he had foreseen. It was his tactical mindset that allowed him to lead the men and women under his command during the Ame-Suna conflict to achieve victory. During combat he tends to analyze the abilities of his opponent to find a weakness and then exploit it while also understanding and using the environment to his advantage. While for the normal observer his defensive and offensive patterns are hopelessly random for others his tactics are brilliantly conceived.

Jutsu Used:

NAME: Satetsu no Kanchi [Iron Sand Sensing]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
By dispersing iron sand into a specific area, the user is able to discern the presence of bodies that come into direct contact with it. This sensing sand can be spread across a wide terrain, or even float in the air allowing aerial foes to be detected. Once the sand comes in contact with a person, it will wrap itself around them, rendering even invisible targets, visible.

NAME: Satetsu no Tate [Iron Sand Shield]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Jiton
DESCRIPTION:
A rather simple yet powerful technique, the surrounds himself in sand, either in the for of a in shapeless form that is aimed to intercept incoming strikes or in a layered sphere of Iron Sand compressed to such an extent that it becomes as hard as stone. It is also capable of repairing surface damage by shifting the Iron Sand over a flaw in it's defense, making it an incredibly useful technique. There is one rather large flaw however, in that the user's visibility is completely null when inside the sphere of Iron Sand.

1 Jutsu Prepared