[Honō Kojirou]

… Ohhhhhhhhhh, that did at times happen to be the case. Many a merchant delighted in having close ties with shinobi, and downright marrying one was just a bonus… but hopefully, they got married for other reasons, as well. Kojirou did ponder over that before Azarea’s voice disappeared into the accommodated room… right before night fell.

Now, however, as he dreamed, Ahma’s distant, sharp words returned to him once more… the words that had haunted him throughout his time in Kuwana. He had found a way… some way, perhaps, to live as a shinobi. And most important, he had decided this path for himself… at last, uninhibited by his clan’s expectations alone.’, Kojirou was a full-fledged shinobi. Hopefully, he could grow stronger and become a hero, as well… one who would never put someone through what Ahma experienced. It was wishful thinking at first, mere idealism… but with power, ideals could become reality.

But was his ideal… just? Or would it require another’s destruction? That, Kojirou did not know yet… standing amidst a pool of black, the sky black, and the land around him coaled as granite, he did not know where his path was taking him… but dared he realize his ideal, he would have to sacrifice. No good deed went unpunished.

… Was that what you truly believed, Ahma?

…

…

What a weird dream. The beds were so comfy, though, and Kojirou had slept like a rock throughout the rest of the night. They went up, got ready, ate breakfast and even received snacks on their way to the Land of Lightning. As Azarea said, they had to hurry up – Kojirou, valiant as ever, dared not fall behind and diligently ran next to her on the path.

… Frost. He heard it clearly, crunching under his boots.

"D-Did we reach the Land of Lightning?”

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Bird Song

"Not yet, but soon," Azarea quipped with a laugh as they ran tugging her hook up as their breath began to mist in the air. The first flakes of snow fluttering down like feather down as their feet crunched on the frost. "We're in Shimo now. here I'll show you something neat. Channel chakra to your feet like water walking." She instructed as they veered off the road along their path towards a large recently frozen lake the ice on it's surface still thin as Azarea skates out across it an eerie almost bird song sound following in their wake as the pair dance over the ice leaving cracks on the surface in their wake.



The magical moment though ends too soon as once more their feet find solid ground and the snow begins to grow thicker as they near the pass. "Stick close. If it turns into a white out we don't want to get lost." Azarea explains making sure stayed shoulder to shoulder as they ascended the foothills of Shimo and entered the mountains of Kaminari no Kuni as the downfall only grew thicker. Snow building up about their feet and ankles as Azarea continues to channel chakra dancing atop the white surface of the freshly fallen slopes demonstrating to Kojirou how her chakra formed a sort of natural snowshoe exploiting the surface tension the same one way did with water.

"Now we're in Kaminari no Kuni."

SPOILER: Click to show

Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 233| Honō Kojirou

[Honō Kojirou]

The snow wasn’t an indication that they had entered the Land of Lightning… for Kojirou had forgotten just one more country – the Land of Frost! It was literally in the name! He could’ve seen this a mile away… aww, after all he’d been through during the Chūnin Exams, he had yet to truly be able to draw simple conclusions at times. It was as if his mind just didn’t even bother… at least, his life wasn’t in danger during some mortal quiz show.

With the frost around, it wasn’t surprising to see that the next lake they spotted was completely frozen over. Azarea didn’t brake in her tracks and skated across the thin layer like it was nobody’s business, so Kojirou took a deep breath and followed suit. It was… a new experience, just as visiting the hot springs earlier. Azarea even showed him how to do that on solid layers of snow as they had approached the northern parts quicker and quicker, flowing away in what felt like a fairy tale told during the cold nights of winter.

"… Oh, finally! Doesn’t look too different from…?” Kojirou commented upon the proclamation; they were now in Azarea’s homeland, the Land of Lightning. What he saw was… snow, distant hills and what looked like… the type of mountains he also saw back in the Land of Earth. "We don’t have such tall mountains back in Nohara no Kuni… but they look intimidating. As if we’re not supposed to climb them… or something…” he speculated in deep thought at the sight of those gargantuan products of nature, "… B-But! We got a job to do… and shish kebab to preserve!”

He hadn’t forgotten about Azarea’s growing delight for the famous dish.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

A Rain of Arrows

"True it'll be much easier for us to get Kebabs in Kaminari no Kuni with an outpost here." Azarea agree chuckling at the Kusa nin's enthusiasm as she leads Kojirou towards the mountain pass the mission had called for them to establish the outpost in. The mountains on either side normal to the Kumo nin, but likely tall intimidating sentinels to the low lands Shinobi unused to such towering snowy peaks. The two of them veering towards a sloping crack in the craggy cliff faces that lead up to the higher ground. Snow spattering around them in wisps and slowly building up upon the earth beneath their feet higher and higher to build drifts.

Right as the whistle of an arrow cut through the air Azarea's eyes going wide as she slammed her hands down upon the earth springing a wall of doton up in front of them as five more hours swiftly joined the first. "Bandits! Looks like half a dozen on them!" She called out focusing on her senses. "Do you have any way to take them out at range Kojirou? I think they're up on those cliff ledges." Azarea pointed out the enemies locations as the two took shelter behind the stone.

SPOILER: Click to show

SA: Kagura's Minds Eye Chakra sensing
Name: Doroku Gaeshi - [Earth Shore Return] (Previously known as [Mud Overturn])
Rank: C
Chakra Usage: Low
Type: Ninjutsu [General]
Element: Doton
Handseals: 0
Description:
Doroku Gaeshi is a defensive Ninjutsu utilizing the Earth Element. The jutsu is cast by raising both hands above their head and then striking the ground with them, a wall of earth large enough to protect themselves will rise into place as defense. The defense is not perfect though, a hard or drilling impact can puncture the wall. Physical contact with the wall must be held until it is standing upright.

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 205 | Honō Kojirou

[Honō Kojirou]

Kojirou’s shoulders, for some reason, pressed downwards. So did the rest of his torso, but he only just figured out the reason why when Azarea summoned an earth wall in front of them to block incoming… those were arrows! He recognized the sound of arrows hitting dirt – even though it was unneeded, he thanked his body for moving down before he had the time to think… again, that weird thing was going on. Maybe letting his body do more work for him could prove something, y’know, while resting his brain once in a while… but no. That wasn’t the way of the shinobi, and he had to think.

About a half a dozen bandits were attacking them with arrows, so Kojirou concluded that they had no access to harder-hitting attacks such as long-range Ninjutsu. Retaliating from a range would then be optimal, just as Azarea suggested, so Kojirou weaved three handseals and leaned his face slightly out of the wall’s cover, taking a couple fast glances ahead of the wall before any arrows could get a hit on him. Some dirt was clawed out by his hands from the earth wall that Azarea had built, and the dirt began to heat up and turn to dripping magma that rapidly vaporized the snow it spilled onto. With a pair of solid, magma-formed shuriken in each hand, Kojirou took another glance and flung them out from the cover, then began to weave a little more chakra.

From the sudden screams, he figured that about 2 or 3 had been hit… uhh… more of them suddenly began screaming. The lava residue from the impacting shuriken had likely splashed onto the others. "I think I got them,” Kojirou told his teammate, grateful as ever for possessing Lava Release, "I can’t hear anyone else nearby…”

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used:

NAME: Yōton: Yōgan Shuriken [Lava Release: Lava Shuriken]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Yōton
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION:
The user creates 4 shuriken composed from molten rock and flings them to the enemy at a short range. By using chakra the user can only roughly control/change the trajectory of the shuriken which can easily cut and burn through rocks, cloth and flesh without losing much momentum, while also providing a great distraction against an enemy.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Hurry! Hurry!

Azarea could feel their enemies chakra writhing in pain. Kojirou had certainly managed to land a direct hit on two of them catching a third in the blast radius as the archers rolled in the snow. Their screams likely distracting the remaining three bandit's who's signatures fluctuated with panic. "Great job Koji! I think there's just three more. There. There. and there!" She points them out to him as she takes advantage of the bandits distraction to fly through her own handseals forming a bullet of chakra on the tip of her tongue and taking a dip breath. Before darting up over the wall to fire her bullet up at the nearest of the three that hadn't been taken out by Koji's lava shuriken. The barrier bullet impacting the man in the neck as he with down with a flash of crimson in the snow.

"Can you get the last two?" Azarea questioned as she focused on the soles of her feet. Picking up a fine distant rumbling. Too quiet yet to be heard, but the woman could feel it. As she cast her eyes up and about at the mountains around them trying to pin point where it was coming from. Her scarlet eyes scanning the mountain peaks as she keeps ducked behind the wall until finally her gaze alights upon it. A shift on one of the already snow capped peaks. The slow steady slide as the top of the snow gave way dragging the lower layers with in and building... and building. The noise too distant yet to reach them, but the sound would arrive before the snow did.

"Quick! We've got an avalanche coming our way!" She exclaimed zeroing in on the danger.

SA's

SPOILER: Click to show

Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria [Queen's Coronation Regalia]
A mutated variant of the Aburame clans Yūdai no Omorejō ["Bewildering Grandeur of the Alpha"] resulting from the subsequent poisoning of Azarea's former Yūdai no Omorejō hive to prevent potential hijutsu theft. While the Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria lacks the Yūdai no Omorejō size instead Azarea's hive has maintained the ability to produce alpha pheromones and commanding vibrations. Evolving instead to hyperspecialize in these two aspects allowing them to produce pheramones and vibrations strong enough to be detected by human hearing and sense of smell.

Reigning Chakra Control
Fine tuning her chakra control to a razor's edge Azarea is capable of performing delicate techniques with minimal to no wastage of chakra. Allowing her to conserve her reserves in prolonged combat and managed more finickity techniques and jutsu.

Kagura Mind's Eye
Born with a natural affinity towards sensing chakra like her Father before her Azarea has trained herself to become a capable sensory shinobi. Unlocking the Kagura's Mind's Eye, and with it, the ability to passively sense chakra signatures in the distance (when using the technique), thus allowing her to not only track, but also memorize a person's chakra signature, even if barely any chakra is being used. Due to her proficiency with this technique, Azarea can currently passively sense chakra up to 500 meters and actively at 2.5 kilometers.

Techniques

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kekkai: Dangan [Barrier: Bullet]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: --
DESCRIPTION:

Compressing air into a very tiny barrier the size of a musket ball, the user fires it at great velocity towards the target, able to pass straight through a human body. However objects of higher density than it will certainly stop it, including certain thicknesses of wood, iron or steel.

NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye] (Passive)
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
REQUIREMENT: Chakra Control SA, KME or Sensory SA
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 287 | Honō Kojirou

[Honō Kojirou]

Kojirou quickly took notice of where she pointed and prepare two more Lava Shuriken in his hands, not held back by the cold in the air one bit. It was likely a bonus of Lava Release that made it slightly more efficient in cold regions than, say, Fire Release alone. Dashing out of the wall during the confusion between the bandits, Kojirou flung his shuriken at them and watched them melt through their chests with direct hits. The two who got hit, however, had decided to jump face first into the snowy ground to dampen the pain…

But Kojirou was advancing towards them at full speed. With a leap in the air, his blade was pointing downwards and drilled through one of them who didn’t manage to get back up on his feet, while the other one was still staggered by the glowing pieces of stone attached to his chest. Kojirou was too fast for a staggered opponent like him and made a swift attack at his throat, a quick end to the fight.

Kojirou was about to wipe off the blood from his precious blade, but… what was that sound?

Azarea had caught on to it way earlier and warned Kojirou to move, for an avalanche was rolling towards them. Even with the sound, it was difficult to pinpoint the location until Azarea aided in that with her better clairvoyant ability. "Oh no…!” Kojirou exclaimed before channeling chakra into his feet to propel himself in the opposite direction from where the avalanche was coming, "H-How much snow is coming down?! Can we outrun it?!”

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

AVALANCHE!

"I don't think we can outrun it! We can try to run diagonally, but~" With the clifffaces the snow would just pour over them. So instead Azarea thought fast her eyes darting over the cliffface until she spotted the slightly ledge one of the bandit's had been standing on before they'd toppled off to their deaths. To call it a cave would have been too much as it was more a shallow groove in the rock, but it would do.

"Quick! This way!" She yells as the roar of the avalanche begins to reach them the snow gaining momentum as it plummets down the mountain towards them the sound starting a cascade effect with the fresh powder from a few of the nearby faces. As reaching out she takes Koji's hand running towards the avalanche of all things as she channels chakra to her feet to vault up the face of the rock. Moving to press the two of them tightly beneath the overlook banking on the fact that the snow would be propelled out and over by the force of the cliff and hopefully clear their little hiding spot. As soon all sound and sight was lost to the roaring cloud of white as the avalanche enveloped them. Cascading over the cliffs of the pass like endless water as Azarea pressed and clung tight to the rock her gloved hand gripping Koji's tight enough to bruise as they waited for the disaster to pass. Waited to see if the snow piled high enough up the face of the cliff to bury them too or if they'd climbed high enough and calculated the momentum enough to ensure it would continue on down the valley.

SA's

SPOILER: Click to show

Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria [Queen's Coronation Regalia]
A mutated variant of the Aburame clans Yūdai no Omorejō ["Bewildering Grandeur of the Alpha"] resulting from the subsequent poisoning of Azarea's former Yūdai no Omorejō hive to prevent potential hijutsu theft. While the Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria lacks the Yūdai no Omorejō size instead Azarea's hive has maintained the ability to produce alpha pheromones and commanding vibrations. Evolving instead to hyperspecialize in these two aspects allowing them to produce pheramones and vibrations strong enough to be detected by human hearing and sense of smell.

Reigning Chakra Control
Fine tuning her chakra control to a razor's edge Azarea is capable of performing delicate techniques with minimal to no wastage of chakra. Allowing her to conserve her reserves in prolonged combat and managed more finickity techniques and jutsu.

Kagura Mind's Eye
Born with a natural affinity towards sensing chakra like her Father before her Azarea has trained herself to become a capable sensory shinobi. Unlocking the Kagura's Mind's Eye, and with it, the ability to passively sense chakra signatures in the distance (when using the technique), thus allowing her to not only track, but also memorize a person's chakra signature, even if barely any chakra is being used. Due to her proficiency with this technique, Azarea can currently passively sense chakra up to 500 meters and actively at 2.5 kilometers.

Techniques

SPOILER: Click to show

JUTSU GOES HERE

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 284 | Honō Kojirou

[Honō Kojirou]

Azarea had spotted something way before Kojirou had. Thank the lord for her presence, otherwise the swordsman might’ve had to resort to the Rubber Ball Jutsu… and that would only preserve his life for, like, a little while longer. Buried under all that snow… would he be able to dig his way up again?

Either way, he quickly followed the source of her call, not really sure where exactly she had planned to go. Under these conditions, he didn’t think once about seeking shelter in a cave where there were none, and he didn’t think that he was able to leap high enough to escape being buried. Maybe… one of the trees could save them? Were they strong enough to withstand the avalanche? From the looks of it, the speed of the snow rolling down towards them – catching up debris on the way – made him think otherwise. What was Azarea’s plan, then?!

And why were they running towards the avalanche? Wait, what was going on?! Did she find a place where they would be safe?

She had even grabbed his hand again, forcing him along as she leapt towards what appeared to be the face of a random precipice. It looked like a part of the precipice, and the snow might not have been able to reach them there… but it kept running down. Echoing, deafening, like solid water that snow truly was, not much else filled the swordsman’s mind at the moment.

"Is… IS… IS THIIIIS PLAAAACE GOOOOOOOD ENOOOOUUUUGH?!”

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Outpost

The roar of the avalanche filled their ears. Azarea only catching snatches of Koji's words her mind frozen in that sort of terrified awe one experiences when coming within inches of death and all you can do is just watch the freight train of what might have been your doom rush by. It was impressive really. The snow, ice, and debris pouring past them for what felt like eternity, but was likely only seconds as the snow built up below them rising up the cliff face, but thankfully never quite reaching them. Until finally the disaster was past and the woman was able to process her partner's sentence.

"Huh... actually you might be right. This would be a pretty good spot for an outpost." She murmurs misinterpreting Koji's words as she eyes the rock thoughtfully.

"Here help me start carving it out a little." Azarea requests as the woman focuses on her doton nature and begins working to start drilling out a small cave. The other workers would need to finish it, but it was a decent start. With more proper tools and manpower the place would likely become a safe shelter against the wind, storms, and snow for those passing through the area and high enough up to not be buried under snow. Perhaps even a barn could be made further down out of stone to house livestock and horses in for a time until they could be dug out with katon if another avalanche came.

SA's

SPOILER: Click to show

Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria [Queen's Coronation Regalia]
A mutated variant of the Aburame clans Yūdai no Omorejō ["Bewildering Grandeur of the Alpha"] resulting from the subsequent poisoning of Azarea's former Yūdai no Omorejō hive to prevent potential hijutsu theft. While the Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria lacks the Yūdai no Omorejō size instead Azarea's hive has maintained the ability to produce alpha pheromones and commanding vibrations. Evolving instead to hyperspecialize in these two aspects allowing them to produce pheramones and vibrations strong enough to be detected by human hearing and sense of smell.

Reigning Chakra Control
Fine tuning her chakra control to a razor's edge Azarea is capable of performing delicate techniques with minimal to no wastage of chakra. Allowing her to conserve her reserves in prolonged combat and managed more finickity techniques and jutsu.

Kagura Mind's Eye
Born with a natural affinity towards sensing chakra like her Father before her Azarea has trained herself to become a capable sensory shinobi. Unlocking the Kagura's Mind's Eye, and with it, the ability to passively sense chakra signatures in the distance (when using the technique), thus allowing her to not only track, but also memorize a person's chakra signature, even if barely any chakra is being used. Due to her proficiency with this technique, Azarea can currently passively sense chakra up to 500 meters and actively at 2.5 kilometers.

Techniques

SPOILER: Click to show

JUTSU GOES HERE

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 247 | Honō Kojirou

[Honō Kojirou]

At last, the damn avalanche finished falling. Kojirou’s skin was shivering, but it was such a thrilling experience. Avalanches like these hadn’t occurred in Nohara no Kuni for… like, forever. No wonder that the shinobi up in Kumogakure were so impressive – to think that they lived under these conditions throughout their entire lives… it was awe-striking.

… Wait, outpost?

Oooohhhhh, yeah, the mission… wait, here? But the avalanche, it just passed by here! No way would it be the last time, and maybe the cliff had taken more damage than they thought. What if, next time, the cliff would fall completely? No, no, no, this didn’t promise well, he had to check the top-

Oh… the cliff’s ceiling didn’t look that damaged by all the snow that had passed by moments earlier. A quick leap to the top confirmed that for the swordsman, who couldn’t help but furrow his brow at the sight. "… I don’t get snow,” was all he could muster up at the whole ordeal before deciding to just let the snow expert – the one who lived with snow more than him, which would be Azarea below – carry on with her judgement of this place as a suitable outpost. There was still a lot that he could learn about the climate up north…