[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC Aoto Ren (?) WORDS 361 POSTS 16/20

S

ummoning Uri to his aid, Kotobuki's companion was able to erect a barrier between him and the opponents to prevent an incoming attack. Luckily for him, the rain of arrows began soon afterwards, cascading down from the sky like a deadly rain. It had seemed to come almost from nowhere, Asa's silent, frightful execution being enough to take all the enemies off guard.

The bandit who was busy forming seals for a jutsu took the brunt of the arrows, each one stabbing into the man, quickly rupturing any flesh and organs that got in the way. The leader of the group reacted quicker than him and, unbound by morals, ducked behind his ally, using the already-dying man as a human shield to avoid what part of the volley he could. A few arrows still managed to clip him and one caught his leg, lowering his maneuverability.

The Yukigakure shinobi floundered to grab from his supplies when the volley began. A few arrows stabbed into him before he was able to summon forth a broad fan from his supplies. He held it in front of himself to guard and knock back what he could, but he was injured.

Asa had managed to remove one of the bandits from the equation and injure the other two, making Kotobuki's job significantly safer and easier.

Kotobuki and Uri moved together towards the one who could be Ren, ready to engage in a fight. 

As they began their approach, the Yukigakure shinobi swung his fan, creating a great burst of wind that would lash at Kotobuki. Uri's barrier abilities would hopefully protect him from most of what would be an otherwise dangerous blow, but the threat was still there. 

The leader of the bandits continued to support his now-deceased ally as a human shield. With his other hand, he pulled out a weapon. The clanking of a chain followed, the only warning Kotobuki received before the weapon was thrown at him like a lasso. The man would attempt to catch Kotobuki's leg to tip him over. 

The still hidden figure began to move, gradually creeping closer, as if getting in position to attack the bandit leader. 

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu used:


NAME: Daikamaitachi no Jutsu [Great Sickle Weasel Technique]

RANK: B

CHAKRA USAGE: Medium

CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu

ELEMENT: Fūton

REQUIREMENTS: Giant Fan / Other

DESCRIPTION:

This technique is a more powerful version of the Sickle Weasel Technique: many air currents collide to create vacuum pockets that slashes the opponents, with enough power to slice down many trees in a forest. This technique can deflect both physical and sound wave attacks and attack at the same time, making it both an offensive and defensive technique.


NAME: Hebekajō [Serpent Coil]

RANK: B

CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low

CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu

ELEMENT: -

HANDSEALS: 0

DESCRIPTION:

With the flick of a wrist and tug of a finger the wielder of a chain or wire is able to cause a loop to appear within the weapon. This works equally well for all chain and rope-based weapons, and allows the loop to be made while the chain is attacking, defending, or otherwise in motion. Depending on the user’s skill level and mastery of bukijutsu, these loops can appear seemingly from nowhere and very quickly, and ensnare foes that were not expecting it.

[Asa]

Asa was unfazed by the destruction and death she had brought on the bandits. This was what she was trained to do. This was her purpose, this was what she was brought to Yukigakure no Sato to do. This was but another hunt. SAhe had already secured their objective. Ensuring that Go Kotobuki survived his dealings with the bandits was her new concern. Whether those bandits lived or died was immaterial. She did not want Go Kotobuki to die. 

However, that technique had taken a bit out of her. She could have ramped it up further, firing hundreds of arrow clones, but she had not, which allowed one bandit to hide behind another. It was no matter: Asa was used to sniping foes from unexpected angles, and she was sure he didn't know where she was. She needed a moment or two to catch her breath before she could continue her assault. 

There was someone else who survived as well. Asa could not particularly gauge who they were from her distance, but they had produced a giant fan with which to attack Go Kotobuki. An intriguing weapon, but it would not save them for long, if Asa was to handle them. 

She focused on the bandit leader with another shot. Wind danced between her fingers, which filled the arrow with speed and power. Perhaps his attack would connect with Go Kotobuki, perhaps it would not. Either way, he would not survive exposing himself so brazenly. 

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Futon: Sokoya [Wind Release: Traveling Arrow]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: Futon
DESCRIPTION:
The user infuses wind chakra into their arrow before firing it with their bow. The arrow now carries the properties of traveling wind. The wind chakra is constantly being used up and it allows for no air friction against the arrow; the wind also acts as a current of air which allows the arrow to travel at a constant speed for 24 hours straight without stopping unless it hits an object. If the arrow passes anywhere near a source of fire within 50ft it will burst into flames and ashes instantaneously.

[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

Uri's barrier absorbed the brunt of the slashing currents of the wind fan, but the shell cracked and shattered in its wake. What was left of the attack was only enough to toss Kotobuki's bangs off of his forehead and make them stick up momentarily.

He reached for his staff, ready to perform a sweep to try to knock the potential rogue from their feet when he felt the coil of a chain against his legs. It was Kotobuki who found himself tripped and falling face first into the snow, unaware of the fate of the bandit chief who had done it against Asa's arrow.

In an attempt to busy the shinobi with the fan, Uri shook her wooly fur and sucked air into her mouth. She began spitting six wind bullets at various places. She aimed two for each arm, one center mass, and one for the head. If the headshot landed it would usually render someone unconscious.

The wanin used his sensory ability to get a survey of the situation while he was on the ground. He'd quickly scramble to his feet afterwards in order to face the biggest threat. He’d stand near Uri so that she could protect him if anyone tried to do anything scary again.

🗡️ Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC Aoto Ren (?) WORDS 259 POSTS 19/20

U

ri worked on defending Kotobuki while he was on the ground, focusing her attentions on the shinobi with the fan to attempt to prevent him from attacking anew. She fired off wind bullets in his direction. One struck his arm and caused him to fumble his fan, making him panic enough that he didn't note the one sailing right for his head. It struck him in the head and sent him quickly tumbling backwards, falling to the ground, as if the light had been knocked right out of his head. His chest continued to rise and fall, but he was unconscious. It seemed his forehead protector had done him little good here.

As Kotobuki scrambled back up, the bandit leader would begin his approach, shaking out the chain to ready for another attack.

"You made a mistake coming out here," he said. "Tell me where-" Before he could question the location of Kotobuki's ally, he was given an answer. Asa loosed her arrow and it embedded itself in his spine. He stopped, stumbling a few steps forwards and trying to reach back for it, as if he could yank it out. From the quick disorientation and loss of coordination, it was clear Asa hit something important. Though he tried to lash his weapon one last time, he didn't get the chance before his legs buckled under him. If he was still alive, he wouldn't be for much longer.

That was all the threads technically taken care of. The air was quiet for a moment. What would they do now? 

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[Asa]

Asa made her way down the cliff face as fast as she could, given the circumstance. Her scythes were at the ready. However, by the time she had made it down, it would seem that the fight had already been finished. This was the perferred option. It would appear that Go Kotobuki had survived, and Asa's arrow had either killed or disabled her target. That was all she could ask for. 

She had used a lot of chakra in that engagement, and was not keen on using more if she did not have to. To be wasteful was to invite Death in, after all. She walked over to Go Kotobuki, and looked to see the extent of his potential wounds. Her eyesight was good, but in the gloom and from such a distance, she could not have been sure. 

"Go Kotobuki," Asa said. "Aoto has been secured, and is alive. It would appear that we have dismantled that which harmed him. Who is the person with the fan? Are they another bandit?" 

The fan was interesting, and not a tool she was expecting from a bandit. It was much too big to disguise as an ordinary fan, that was for sure. How would one learn such a specialty? But for the moment, it did not matter, as they were crumpled down in the snow. 

[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

"Hey there," he replied. Kotobuki blinked and motioned over to the person with the fan, walking over and bending down to dust snow off of his forehead to reveal the Yukigakure symbol. After making sure that the archer saw it, he’d move to bind their wrists. Most shinobi could easily escape mundane bindings but it’d give them a spare moment if he woke up and wanted to behave badly.

"They were working with the bandits… looks like they sold out the rest of their squad to me," Kotobuki said. He then looked in the direction of the hidden figure. "You can come out now..."

Whether or not the hidden person was aiding the bandits or coming to ambush him from behind, he did not know. He'd leave it up to the village to figure that mess out, it wasn't really his business to determine if they were trustworthy or not.

He did prepare himself in case they decided to attack, and pointed towards the direction that he sensed the presence coming from so that Asa wasn't completely unaware. Uri stood in a defensive posture in front of Kotobuki, ready to defend him if this last person had gone rogue as well.

🗡️ Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC Aoto Ren Tsumugi WORDS 235 POSTS 22/20

F

rom her hiding place, the quiet figure finally decided to step out. She was another shinobi wearing the Yukigakure symbol, slightly bloodied and clutching her side, though in far better condition than they had found Aoto in. She looked stressed, but also looked, more than anything else, relieved. Her eyes scanned over to Ren on the ground, then back to the two shinobi.

"Thank you," she said. "I was running from them for so long. These bandits came from nowhere, and Ren just- just joined in with them. The turncoat. The coward. I don't know if I would have made it all the way back to a village with them on my tail. I managed to hide, but they were hunting me like- like wolves. They killed Mio, and injured Aoto. He ran off, I don't know where he is." This one must be Tsumugi, then.

Ren stirred on the ground, but didn't wake just yet. Tsumugi looked at him with a certain hatred.

"Can you help me find Aoto? Is he safe?"

The two could answer her and return to find Aoto. Once they obtained him and helped him down from his perch, they would be able to begin the return trip home with the unconscious criminal in tow. Even if he woke up partway home, he was outnumbered and injured. It would be an easy matter to get the three living shinobi home.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY