[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

Lurking a Memory

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

It felt like it's been ages since that fight, since the mission with Hideo. Without constant action like in her youth, Kunikunosaku could feel time slow, each second felt like a minute, and each felt like an eternity. Not needing any sleep made the days constantly blend in a maelstrom of confusion. The kind to send just about anyone mad. Kunikunosaku wasn't like that in the slightest. She relished each opportunity for chaos more and more. No matter how many thoughtful talks with Ruto, Hideo, or Ryū, the girl consistently had her mentality broken down with the endless hunger within. She had it entirely in check for the most part, however, Jiongu always was ever present at any hesitation the girl may have had. Her worst enemy was not simply in her head, but her very being. She was merely a passenger insidiously gaining more control. But with that control came moments of deep-seated rage and anger. What made her even more efficient was the detachment of her ego, of her humanity to allow the darkest and cruelest moments of the beast within to show the world exactly her pain.

But, the cost came with a severe apathy and detachment of morality regarding her actions. Without the illusion of social norms or imposed rules of engagement made her efficient as she rarely hesitated in combat. But that illusion was one of the few things that made her feel human, to make her feel she was doing the right thing. Morality melted and history simply shows that repeatedly. Even her atrocious crimes of national security were justified by a single cause, her agitated will to beat down and kill Uchiha Issei. She still to this day contemplated how to efficiently kill him in the easiest, most painful method possible. It was known to her that with his shown hero mentality, if he loses his loved one, he has lost his will to fight. It only made sense that entirely removing them would beat his psyche down. She knows what it's like to fight with nothing left to lose. You grow arrogant, you give it your all, and thus fall into a predictable pattern of randomness. No one ever really became random or erratic, they always fell into a pattern that simply appears to be random. But when you drop assumptions and expectations, their facade breaks.

Kunikunosaku let out a rather cold giggle. She continued to the False Village's gate, rumors among the ranks about a representative of Kirigakure. Kuni obviously volunteered to meet up with them given her pre-existing background work with the shinobi of Mizu no Kuni, which made her a shoe-in even without volunteering. She was hoping it was Toru once again, she needed to beat him, the drive to finally beat one of the opponents she could not at the CEs was just too tantalizing to pass up. As she arrived at the gates, her heterochromatic eyes were looking for both a VIP, and insidiously, a fight.

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
N/A
EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)

[Sora Minami]

It amazes me how often these so-called "Hidden” Villages aren’t very well hidden at all. Sora thought as she stepped through the front gate of Takigakure, her lips pursed in a thin line. Civilians milled about openly, with a few Taki Shinobi mixed in the crowds, some in plain clothes and some blatantly advertising their presence. As a reminder, to both visitor and resident alike: "This is Takigakure. Misbehave at your own peril.”

She had come (had been sent, in truth) as a representative of Mizu no Kuni, on behalf of the Mizukage/Daimyo, in order to ascertain the state of things in their allied village and "foster inter-village relations in the spirit of cooperation and fellowship.” That was what her paperwork said, anyway. The Mizukage’s instructions had been far more straightforward: Don’t die. Don’t kill anyone. Try not to piss off anyone too important. Come back alive. No, you can’t bring your Genin.

Simple, really.

Running a hand through her pink locks, Sora glanced about, looking for the young woman she had been told would be her guide, Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku. She was said to be a striking young woman, with long white hair, heterochromatic eyes, and a penchant for violence that would fit in well with any Kuronmeru. Which was just… wonderful, if it was true. If.

It took Sora a minute to pick the girl (a Tokubetsu Jounin, according to the pieces of her file she’d been allowed to read) out from the crowd; not because she was hard to spot, but because there was no one around the woman. She’d been expecting her to be within the crowd, trying that age-old trick of sneaking up on a visiting Shinobi, but instead the girl was just… standing there. Alone. Still, she didn’t look all that intimidating; a little off, certainly, but not dangerous. Maybe it was because she was short. And young. She wasn’t much older than Ikana. Then again, neither is the Mizukage.

Shaking the thought from her head with a sigh, Sora put on her nicest Sensei-smile (there was an art to being a Jounin-sensei) and walked over to the girl, left hand resting on Samidare’s hilt but not gripping it. She was in an allied village, after all. No reason to fret. Much.

"You must be Mikatakujira-san." She said, giving the girl a slight but respectful bow of her head. Technically she outranked her, but there were protocols to follow in an allied village, and that meant differing to them whenever possible. Plus, it was just polite. "I’m Minami Sora.”
Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku

[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

...

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

Kunikunosaku locked her sights on the visitor, the woman from Mizu no Kuni. She was about half a foot too tall to be her sparring partner, well, forced partner, and clearly the wrong sex. Not to mention the pinkish hair, fuller, and of course taller, feminine figure. As she neared, Kuni didn't really move her head, only her eyes followed the figure. The girl had a knack for having a resting poker face when her emotions weren't in the extremes. Giving off uncertainty about what she was feeling or thinking. The foreigner greeted her by clan name and bowed to her. While it was certainly a nice feeling, it still evoked no emotion. Instead, Kunikunosaku merely waited for her turn to formally bow. In a rather cold, monotonous voice, Kuni would start her greeting as she rose up. "Takigakure welcomes you, Minami-san. I hope it was safe travels? Only a sole brave soul visited from Mizu, you make the second." Hollow, even with the warm pleasantries, it just seemed hollow of herself. Ruto did bring up that something about her had changed drastically ever since she came out of solitary confinement. But, she only felt it just now, months after the fact. Something in her... broke. Tore away. Now there seems to be an even greater dissonance between her conscious and this foreign body.

Kunikunosaku motioned for the woman to follow her as she aimed to just walk around the false village until something strikes her fancy. Quite literally walking aimlessly with an odd grace and confidence like she already had an inkling where to go. "To what honor do we owe that brought you all the way from Mizu no Kuni?" Projected even louder merely gave Kuni a reason to sound even colder. The abrasive tone sharpened like someone all too familiar to her. Kunikunosaku only narrowed her eyes slightly as the memory of her Lord, and the Lady before him came to her mind. Both cruel and powerful leaders in their own right. Both vicious leaders in their own right with a weight on their words. Kuni can only recall a single time her words held such impactful weight that they sucked the will out of a man to fight. Regardless of weight, that cold, merciless, sharp voice had a similar tone as she was speaking now. Still nowhere near as loud nor as emotive.

If the response was not quick, her following words would sound more eerie. "Did the great boy Mizukage send his friend to come check on me? You can tell him to come himself, he knows the terms." The Mikatakujira would again say in a cold yet teasing way. It sounded just more aggressive than the words truly were, and she can't explain why. She stopped mid-walk to turn her head and look at the eyes of the woman. She didn't like it when guests would come with no motive, ulterior or not. They were just as bad in her mind as the ones who planned pure terrorism.

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
N/A
EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)

[Sora Minami]

Bonchi no Kuni was truly as the Mizukage had described it; hot, wet, and unbearably filled with all manner of bugs and beasts that wanted nothing more than to kill you. The information in the files she’d read hadn’t been terribly up to date, but even with its age it was proving itself to be rather accurate. Which did not bode well for the current host of the Jiongu.

There is definitely something off about this one. Sora thought as the girl bowed, her voice flat and unfeeling despite the humidity in the air. Kuni’s file had been brief, with only a few sentences dedicated to the girl’s personality, but what little she had been able to tease out of the report definitely conflicted with what she saw now. Cold and distant was one thing; utterly emotionless was quite another. It almost, almost made her want to ask, to find out just what the girl had gone through to make her into something so… broken.

Almost, but not enough.

"I’m afraid you’ll find my reasoning a bit lacking, Mikatakujira-san." She said once the girl had finished, not biting on the comment about her Kage. He could take care of himself, after all. There was a pause- a moment of hesitation, truly. There was something supremely wrong with this girl. Something more than simply being the host of a (particularly monstrous) Kekkei Genkai. Could she really trust a person so obviously broken with something so important? So… personal?

Could she afford not to?

"...I’m looking into my family lineage. My mother was from Bonchi no Kuni, or so the records say.” The words came out soft, a warm breeze to Kuni’s loud, frozen wind. She met the girl’s gaze then, sky blue finding gray and red in spite of the distinct difference in their height. Yes, there was a great deal wrong with this girl; more than any of the broken people she had met before, Kuni showed what the Shinobi system did to those it raised as soldiers. Warriors. Killers. And the fact that it was so obvious, so blatant… She felt sorry for the girl. Truly.

Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku

[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

Evil Eyes

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

Kunikunosaku just stared at her, was she angered, scared, nervous, nonchalant, indifferent? The fact she stated her reasoning as possibly lacking definitely set off a little warning. It made her make a cant of her head as she maintained eye contact. The sort that not only painted confusion but a slight bit of frustration, in the passive-aggressive sense. When Sora gave her answer, her true reasoning, Kuni's brows notably furrowed and her lids narrowed, these were the eyes of a pompous overdramatic girl, these where the eyes a remorseless, cruel killer; a face Kunikunosaku truly believed no one else but Issei earned. "I'm listening, but I will put this up now so we can skip the whole melodrama later. If your mother was a shinobi, or we find she came specifically from Takigakure, we are ordered to treat any who eave the shinobi village as a traitor punishable only with death. Now for anyone, my Lord included, that means any potential lover, relative, friend, they have to die by village law. But since you're lucky enough to get me, I only make the mother go ghost if she hasn't yet. Deal? I cannot help you avoid our village's rules but I can mitigate them under derived pretenses. Walking away now just spreads it to you, you don't deserve that. I cannot stress how lucky you are woman, cause if your words are any indication she's dead, I'll let you off without a thought. Every other shinobi, again, if she was of rank, a missing nin's family is still the missing-nin. Now then..." Kuni rubbed her hands together like she was smacking off dust.

"The first place I can think of first is looking in the libraries for any indication of a Minami clan or family unit. Deeper searches... well, let's just say I shouldn't do them but we'll just brush that aside. The only living clan starting with the Kana of 'Mi (み｜ミ)' are the Mikatakujiras. So unless I completely missed today's clan meeting, I have a feeling they might have either died out, were an already dead clan here, or they are small enough not to be considered a full clan. Obituaries and general clan info should be available to the public, but we'll need to verify with the library." At some point in the conversation, Kunikunosaku crossed her arms, she was fully invested to help Sora but she wanted those caveats known. Especially so given she aims to be the Third Taki Lady so she should know this stuff. But, that is almost certainly a pipe dream given the international conflict she almost caused.

She still awaited for Sora to process everything and make the easiest solution. But, Kunikunosaku understands the gravity of the stated solutions to how the village processes things, that's why if things go sour, she vows to make it quick. Sure, she'll lose a great sparring partner, but that'll be payback for causing her to not replace her heart. Everything sounded rational and logical to Kunikunosaku, but... did her guest now turn POI see it as that? Either way, the bow's loaded and aimed, better to fire than upheaval all of your work at the gate.

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
N/A
EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)

[Sora Minami]

Sora had to give the girl credit- she certainly knew her stuff, even if it was somewhat frivolous information. The bit about the family of rogue Taki-nin being considered the same as said rogue was new to her, but not that surprising. Villages, especially small ones, took treason seriously. The implication behind the girl’s statements though… those gave her pause. Not much of one, perhaps a second, but enough to be noticed. Because even if her parents were dead twenty-five years, no one threatened her family. No one.

"She wasn’t a Shinobi, Mikatakujira-san, nor even a Minami." Sora said once the girl was finished, her voice flat and terse. She pushed that sense of irritation down with a breath, finding that calm center of the storm within- the eye from which all things issued, and within which all could be endured. Even this. "Her family name was ‘Hinode,’ if that’s any help."

It probably wouldn’t be, given how… restricted certain information was in Hidden Villages, but it was worth a shot. If only for some closure. As far as she knew, her parents hadn’t been anything more than tangentially connected to any Shinobi village, let alone tied in deep enough to warrant a full on manhunt just for leaving. Though she couldn’t be certain about her father, of course. No records could mean a lot of things, after all.

"And, Mikatakujira-san? Please refrain from acting as if we hadn’t thought this through. The Mizukage wouldn’t have allowed me to come here if my family had any Shinobi ties to Takigakure.”

Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku

[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

You talk to much

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

The revelation Sora gave made her quickly pause and eyes dart rapidly to find some reasonable memory of either name in her memory. Her eyes locked back onto Sora's as she couldn't recall anything, the adolescent knew she hit a nerve with her statements, they were not meant to be sugar-coated nor did she desire to deceive her, at least here, about what may or may not happen. She wanted to affirm that full transparency so in the event she direly needs to do the deed, she could just do it with hesitation, knowing as a warrior, she properly knew the stakes. Kunikunosaku was about ready to have them ransack all the nearby libraries and archives. It was so easy to start consuming all of the literature, morbid and macabre facts in order to trace the origins of another. Yet, Sora just had to say one particular sentence that made her pin her. See the broken bits.

Kunikunosaku broke eye contact, she didn't need to see how this will effect the woman. Instead, she just acted natural and motioned Sora to follow, standing a little strater to project her voice loud and clear, even if she wasn't facing her. "Minami-san... what you said just now either assures Toru knows more in on this matter, he's keeping a secret from you, or you believe him to be a liar. Really look deep inside, who do you believe who is your mother? Why did the info point here? And why do you have doubt? Think about it, even if I'm wrong and you're on the trail, your trust issues are clear as day, your emotional control is garbage if anything comes as abrasive... You're very mannerisms, they are forced, we both know that even being tilted to where I stung would normally break a facade. You are broken and you can't heal if you hold onto your structured beliefs rather than staying true to who you are. Don't even think my words are fake," Kuni turned her head to the side so her red eye was able to look at Sora from its edge. "They're as real as you are here in Bonchi no Kuni."

Kunikunosaku snapped her head back forward, her white hair following to veil her face from the world. What made her conflicted was that she was so sure, but Kuni knows with the amount of honor and confidence Toru displays, he can mislead, even deceive masses by omitting just a few facts. She understood the reason he has more power over her fear is that uncertainty, that intentional ambiguity. Even if he was telling the truth, he should have had the decency to at least send even a Chūnin along with her, not for combative support, but that of emotional. Kuni slowly turned around to walk backwards, facing Sora. "Now, if you can stand that, you can stand whatever information we can uncover if it is here." Kunikunosaku clapped her hands after she abruptly stopped, and gestured to her left, an old building looking more like a mausoleum. "Archives of those who lost their lives up to 50 years back, if they had no shinobi affiliation to us, we might have some relatives. As they are in Mizu no Kuni, I'm just guessing we won't have any death records of your mother butt maybe her siblings, parent, grandparents, et cetera. You good or do you still need a mental breather?"

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
N/A
EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)

[Sora Minami]

There were few people who could truly say that they had gotten under Sora Minami’s skin. True, the Kuronmeru bothered her, but it was a surface level bother, a kind of light agitation one got from a pompous child or an irritating sibling. Nothing serious ever came of it, because nothing serious was truly attached to it; they were who they were, she was who she was, and that wasn’t going to change. She sniped, they sniped, but everyone went home without anything more than minor injuries. Well, except for Enyo, but he was stupid. Kuni, however, was rapidly becoming one of the vaunted few who got to see her well and truly mad.

"Perhaps it is you who isn’t seeing things clearly, girl." Sora said, biting back the snarl in her voice by the barest of margins. There were some things she could stomach from a foreign ninja -insulting her Kage was, surprisingly, one of them- and some that she would not. She was a stranger to this girl, a complete and utter stranger, barely passing her by on the road of life. Kuni knew nothing. Understood nothing. And she would not sit idly by while an ignorant girl tried to lecture her with some bankrupt philosophy of deceit that went against every single thing she stood for.

"I am here to look into my family history. If that history had in any way hinted that I was a descendant of a rogue Takigakure ninja, the Mizukage would not have bothered to send me here to verify. He would have killed me himself and shipped my head to your Lord without so much as a second thought." She paused then, gathering her breath, the tempest within her stoked to a height it had not reached in years. All from a girl half her age who said a few simple words in the right order.

"Now. If that has managed to drill its way through your incredibly thick skull, and you are done philosophizing with me about how ‘broken’ you think I am, we can move on. If not…" Well. She would let the girl interpret that however she wished.

Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku

[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

...

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

It would be a lie to say Kuni wasn't enjoying this banter, well, she'd call it a banter, others might straight up say she was gaslighting, catastrophizing, and straight up lying to break Sora down. In the mind of Kunikunosaku, she was actually testing the outermost limits to see if superficial truths would crack the woman if she was handed at least debilitating half-truths and it didn't cause emotional or mental distress then the woman had a chance to find the worst truth. But of course, it only took someone who was broken and truly working with it to understand. With the initial reactions, she already pegged her among the repressed individuals she encountered, the likes of her Lord, her former sensei, Etsuko, and the Mizukage. Souls who disregarded their own human nature and lived on mere principles. Enjoying life was a low to non-existent priority for those she had grouped. Those who took themselves too seriously, much like her clan head or some strange special ops boy. Repressed, whether by choice or circumstance, they live with that accepted principal, further fixing themselves to a damaged state.

The Special Jōnin was far more pissed that the woman believed that she didn't feel even a slight ounce of doubt and still hid behind the explanation of her Kage, as if she couldn't think for herself. Kuni just kept her runaway thoughts to herself. Even if she had Toru say it, she had high doubts that the guest here would actually listen. She just watched with a nonchalant face, Sora began digging her feet down. She stood her ground with possibly the worst verbiage. Kunikunosaku raised her hand and touched her throat, feeling the threads within move to temporarily form in a new vocal chord shape. "If not, I'll go crying to Toru on what to do next." Kuni followed with a voice eerily similar in pitch and tone to Sora's own voice. Kunikunosaku chuckled as she waved her hand for the woman to follow, her voice of monotone nonchalance returning. "Please, you're not a robot so stop using orders as facetious defenses, we get it, and if you know your Kage as much as I do, as long as you are powerful for Kiri, he wouldn't send your head, he doesn't see eye to eye with me so I doubt he'll do better for my Lord, trust me you honestly think I'm the worst here, transfer to Taki for a month and work with Lord Ryū. You'll learn how privileged Kiri is." Kuni didn't even bring up a mention of a fight, obviously if she followed Toru's words like sacred divine teachings, then she should know Toru would strongly order Sora to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the Mikatakujira Apprentice.

Approaching the counter, she waited for someone to appear. I hate these public archives. Kunikunosaku placed her hand atop the counter and waited. The sight as if snakes were running under her skin crawled some threads in her hands. "Pardon," Kuni stated with a coarse abrasion and haste in her voice. A hooded attendant wearily came forward until they realized who made the noise. Like a bat from hell, they raced to the white-haired Kunoichi and bowed profusely. "Obituaries, let's do all 50 years, any traces of Hinode or similar names... If we have any deceased records of surnames starting with 'Mina', those are of great help." Kunikunosaku just smiled as the man nodded and pointed to what appeared to be a stone wall. "If we can't find any here, please have someone look for traces in our other record areas." "Of course, Mikatakujira-sama." "Only respectful Yamakira I know." Kuni laughed before moving close to the wall, barely poking it with three fingers before swinging open with a loud thwack. "We have nearly more than three million records to look through, Ueno will be back to help us search, but for now, focus on the same beginning Kana."

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
N/A
EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)

[Sora Minami]

Sora didn’t react when Kuni spoke, didn’t reply, didn’t so much as blink when the girl mocked her voice and mannerisms. And she was just a girl, whatever her rank said. A girl just a few years older than Ikana, not even all the way through puberty and very, very messed up in the head. Reminding herself of that made it easier to ignore the girl’s insults, no matter how deep they cut. Because she did not trust Toru. Not truly. She barely trusted herself, most days. I just… want to know what to do.

So, when the girl was finished with her rant, Sora followed, silent as the grave, long legs carrying her a half step-behind Kuni, keeping pace without over-shadowing or even breaking a sweat. The pair of them made it to the archives without incident, and the Tokubetsu Jounin relayed her instructions to the clerk, all in that same mocking tone she had used before. There were, according to the girl, millions of records to search, but she didn’t need to finger through every year to find what she was looking for. She just had to search through one.

"According to our records, my mother arrived in Mizu no Kuni in 977." Sora said once the clerk returned, lips pressed into a thin, tight line. The archives in Kirigakure had been hit badly by the Sanbi’s attack, but some things had survived well enough that they hadn’t even needed restoring. Like census records. "She was twenty-four, so working backwards we should check the records for 952, since the census for that year was taken before her birthday. That should narrow things down considerably."

She glanced towards Kuni then, lips parting to flash the girl a soft, knowing smirk. It wasn’t the smartest idea, butting heads with an important Clan heir of an allied village, but there was something about her attitude, about the way she spoke and laughed and went chillingly cold without warning that bothered her. It was almost… Almost like looking through a window to how she had been, once. Who I might still be, deep down.

Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku

[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

How Does It Feel Being Dead?

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

So she did apparently move to Mizu... Yeah, she's lucky I don't bother hunting her. Kunikunosaku thought as she watched Sora speak. The Yamakira nodded regardless and pointed in the same direction. When they entered, it looked more like a crypt then an actual library-like archive. "Each statue represents a year, each year is written on the skull's forehead." Kuni's features grew somber. "The clerk will be back, the Yamakira move quick through the Earth, I need to check something." Kunikunosaku stated as she looked at the year 1019. She rubbed her hand before reaching for the 弥霞他駆侍螺　record section, pulling up her clan info. She looked through it, only seeing birth and death dates. Scrounging through it till she reached 'Kunikunosaku'. She pulled up her own file and clear as day. '1006/02/14 - 1019/02/14'. In almost a tired mumur that might be heard through echos by shinobi ears. "So... even they consider me..." She trailed off before stowing the file.

She moved to Sora and worked backwards from her, hoping a hit for a name, a clan, something to give proof and validity of the family Sora had mentioned. But this time, Kuni didn't even look as serious as before, more so, she was just somber. Kuni turned to Sora to announce she wasn't finding anything before the Yamakira built himself out of stone in front of them. "How is your search going?" "How is it going Sora?" Kuni asked, there was no raising inflection of a question, at the moment, her tone was as flat as a plank.

She looked back at the clerk. "Not good on my end, but our guest here is looking for a specific person." The Yamakira rubbed his chin. "Should I inform the other archives to start searching for a..." He trailed of, hoping Sora would aid him.

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
N/A
EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)

[Sora Minami]

Sora didn’t bother to listen to Kuni’s excuse for leaving- she simply followed the statues down the line until she came to the one for 952 and, without a word, began looking through the various files and records they had stored in the alcoves. She read in silence, expression flat save for her eyes, which burned with a whirling need to find something, anything on her mother, on her family. Her ears picked up the Special jounin’s tired murmur, though she didn’t react to it just yet. She was still pissed at her for that dumbass missing-nin comment. Twenty minutes went by, twenty minutes of silent reading that left her with a ton of questions… and absolutely zero answers.

"Nothing." She said, feeling the bitter taste of the word in her mouth as she turned to face the Yamakira man. She didn’t want to look at Kuni right now. Not when the woman seemed so ready to pounce on any weakness, perceived or otherwise. "I found nothing. No trace of the Hinode in any records at all. Or the Minami." No trace of her mother at all, actually. As if she simply hadn’t existed. Or, rather, her existence hadn’t been worth bothering to record, even for a village like Takigakure.

"...Her name was Hinode. Koharu Hinode." Sora said, looking up at the Yamakira until, suddenly, she turned, lips parting in a snarl as she thrust a finger right into Kuni’s face. "Which you fucking knew already, but said nothing about because you were too busy moping about in the damn corner!" She had told the girl earlier, but she hadn’t listened. Hadn’t cared. And now, here she stood, acting somber and dull over what? An obituary? Some words on paper that no one but her had read?

I. Am. Done. So very, very done.

Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku

[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

Hair-trigger

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

If you asked Kunikunosaku, things were going peacefully, everything had a reason and it served to reach an end. The end justifies the means. Everything was perfect...ly dull. It was nice if she found traces of the names, even accidental proxies from family. But to be coming up with nothing despite searching a clear and concise search, it was criminal that this was all for naught. Kuni knew all of two remaining public archives that might house the information they were looking for. The Yamakira reasonably asked for a name to inform the other archives to search in advance as they were heading to the outposts. The full name they were to be looked for while Kuni only knew of two possible surnames. She looked over to Sora as if to inquire why she didn't share the possible full name with her. The sudden explosion of emotion shot at Kuni, her sad eyes reverted back to eyes of boredom as she started to hear Sora out. At the very instant of the older female pointing at Kuni, the younger simply opened her mouth as tendrils seemingly forcefully shot out of her mouth to ensnare Sora where she stood. Kuni open both her palms and hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of tendrils were racing to ensnare Sora.

The black threads tightened even more so with the girl's enhanced control and strength, soon, the tendrils coming out of her mouth started to retract, instead even more threads shot out of her hands. Several threads would move to hold her head and neck straight while yet another covered her mouth, and tightened like a gag without limits. Provided the sudden explosions got her off guard. She just stared at Sora as it was clear at least for Kuni, she was only just using enough pressure to hold still. Not to injure, but just enough to warn of more.

"Do you want my help or no? Do you want Takigakure's help or no? Do you really want me to inform the possibility of what I learned to my supervisors? I mean, not only will I be tried for imprisonment once again for assisting a criminal but your heritage will be marked for death. I hate working with Kirigakure shinobi, you guys are only good for damn punching bags. No one will fucking miss you if I take your heart, that's all you are to Taki, that's all you are to Kiri, and that's all you are to Toru and the Kirigakure shinobi. You want to do this search your way? You'll do it without Takigakure's assistance. You want to go? You have two and I mean two words, I'll go or I'll stay. If you take more than three seconds, if you give me an answer I don't like, or you display any resistance, I will take that heart of yours and send Toru a letter you simply disrespected my lord and took action on your life. And you want to know the real sad thing? Toru'll fucking believe it because my Lord is more strict than me! What the hell are you going to do?"

Kunikunosaku started counting up to 3 as soon as the threads would move from Sora's mouth. The Yamakira just stood there, smiling like the devil, ever silent as a stone.

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
NAME: Jigoku Haaku [Hellish Grasp ]
RANK: C.
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: --
HANDSEALS: --
TRIGGER: --
DESCRIPTION:

At any point on the user’s body, hundreds of tendrils will quickly burst from their body to attempt to envelope a nearby opponent (within 5 meters). The tendrils will wrap around their body, or parts of their body and burrow into their skin.

EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)

[Sora Minami]

It took all of a second for Sora to regret her words, not because she didn’t mean them, but because of what happened next. Black threads shot out of Kuni’s mouth, flying towards the Jounin with surprising speed- and in that instant she reacted, decades of training and instincts kicking in as she forced Fuuton chakra through her legs and out of her feet, exploding into motion, Samidare coming out in a flash of metal, slashing to ward off any stray tendrils as she all but flew down the hall. Even so, the threads nearly caught her in the confined space, only failing because she moved laterally, putting distance between herself and the white-haired woman.

She came to a skidding stop a moment later, roughly six meters to the left of where she had just been, weapon interposed between herself and the Taki-nin. Tension instantly filled the air, the kind that only came when two people were close to killing one another but hadn’t yet committed to the slaughter.

Then Kuni started to speak.

Sora listened, her breathing sharp and steady, every nerve alive as the Special Jounin ranted, her voice growing hot with annoyance and… something else, something familiar: pain. Her mind churned, the adrenaline kicking everything into overdrive as she fit the pieces together; a young girl with a powerful bloodline, disliked by her village and treated like a monster. The coldness, the aloofness, the cruelty, it was all a mask, a hardened shell to hide a sad, lonely child lashing out at the world, looking for attention. And just like that, things began to make sense. Kuni bothered her because she was her. Who she had been. Who she might still be, beneath the weight of duty and her moral code.

Who do I want to be?

Three seconds to decide. One, two…

"Bring it, kid." Sora said, gaze hardening as she readied herself for what was to come.

Jutsu/SA's/Equipment Used

SPOILER: Click to show

Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku
Jutsu:
NAME: Kazesanpo [Wind walk]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Wind
DESCRIPTION: The blade is only as deadly as its reach, so maneuvering around the battlefield is important to a swordsman, in order to get close to the target, or avoid attacks. By channeling wind chakra into their feet, the user is able to swiftly run, so quickly that to the naked eye it seems like a blur.
Special Abilities:
The Kunoichi That Goes On And On And On… [Endurance SA]
Perhaps part of her genetics or simply a random quirk of fate, Sora is unnaturally resilient, be it to physical pain or the toils of extended combat. While most Shinobi would collapse in exhaustion at having used all but the smallest sliver of their chakra reserves, she pushes on; while most Shinobi would wilt beneath the weight of sleepless night after sleepless night, she keeps going. This does not mean she does not feel pain/the strain of extended combat, but rather that her threshold for shutting down because of it is far higher than others. To give an example, if she were to be stabbed through her abdomen, she would still feel the pain of the injury, and it would hinder her ability to move/act, but it wouldn’t stop her, whereas a normal ninja might freeze up or shut down from the pain.

Bet You Didn’t See That Coming [Speed SA]
A byproduct of her enhanced endurance, Sora (despite what many would think) dislikes being injured- and with that dislike comes the intense desire to avoid getting hurt, a desire that has pushed her to hone her body until it could move faster than most others of her rank. In short, Sora is fast- very, very fast.

POWAH! UNLIMITED POWAH!! [Chakra Reserves SA]
After a lifetime of utilizing nearly every ounce of chakra in her body just to survive, Sora’s chakra reserves have expanded a considerable amount to compensate- while she’s no Jinchuuriki, her ability to toss out jutsu after jutsu and still have enough chakra to keep going is quite remarkable, a testament to just how much of the stuff she actually has.

I Am Not Left-Handed [Kenjutsu Mastery SA]
Sora is not merely a Kenjutsu specialist- she is a master when it comes to the art of the sword; after over two decades of training, her skills are unrivaled within Kirigakure, falling short only to the Seven Swordsman themselves… some of them, anyway. This mastery allows her a distinct advantage when fighting other Bukijutsu specialists of similar or lesser rank.

If You Try For Speed, You Do Not Achieve Speed [Bukijutsu Speed SA]
Beyond being a master of Kenjutsu, Sora has practiced for decades to become the faster swordswoman she can be. As such, her Kenjutsu techniques come out faster and move quicker than those performed by others of her rank.

Equipment: Samidare | Spring Rain Blade (Drawn)
SA’s
Unbreakable
Whatever metal and forging process was used in the creation of Samidare, it worked; Samidare is utterly unbreakable by most any means, capable of being engulfed in an S-Rank Jutsu and remaining unscathed. Though it is possible that the blade could potentially be broken by a sufficiently powerful attack (such as, say, a Bijuu-dama), this has never been tested, so it is not known if it would survive.

Sharper Than Your Average Blade
Due to its nature as an unbreakable blade, Samidare bears a cutting edge that is of particular note, which allows it to slice through even steel with little in the way of resistance, so long as the proper force is applied. Additionally, this edge never needs to be resharpened, as it never grows dull or rolls, thus making it perfect for frontline combat.

Light as Spring Rain
Perhaps a quirk of its forging (or perhaps an intentional feature), Samidare is considerably lighter than a blade its size and length ought to be; while this would normally result in a less effective weapon, Samidare loses none of its integrity or cutting power, as it is somehow able to leverage the same amount of force through less mass. This lightness allows the user to swing the weapon about with much greater speed for the same amount of physical exertion.

Chakra Conduction
Being Chakra Conductive, Samidare is capable of channeling all types of Chakra for use in Bukijustu, and, more particularly, it has a slight affinity for Raiton chakra thanks to Sora’s constant use of the blade for that purpose. This affinity does not do anything of real note, but it does feel as if the blade were more eager to drink in Raiton Chakra than other types.

[Mikatakujira Kunikunosaku]

Sora Minami

What Fucking Done Really Means

Evil Doesn't Die; It Changes Shape.

Sora escaped what caught so many more elite and experienced shinobi. It only served to aggravate Kuni, but she was careful to remain calm. She shot a quick glance at the Yamakira and he weaved some seals to lower and shield the archives, on the downside. It was easier to move in the enclosed space, on the surface level, Kuni knew she had herself at a greater disadvantage. But she had a golden ace. The Kunoichi pulled the tendrils back before staring at Sora intently, emotionless yet all so serious. Once Kuni was sure the Jōnin was entrapped in her genjutsu, Kunikunosaku weaved a set of handseals. "Seal the are-" The stone slab was already back on the door and the Yamakira had cleared himself faster than the girl anticipated. She turned back to Sora before smacking the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Summoning Technique]!" Once the smoke plume formed, Kunikunosaku merely nonchalantly stated a sole command. "Flood this place." Without a hesitation, once the smoke cleared to reveal a large crocodile. He snapped his jaws once before launching a torrent of water from his mouth. It visibly started to fill the enclosed space. "I can go all day, you have several minutes!" Kunikunosaku formed a strong fist and launched a jab but from their distance, it was clear it wasn't going to hit.

...Until her threads separated at the elbow and launched a knife-shaped hand straight at Sora's throat. If she wanted a fight, she had to fight by Kuni's rules, not her own. The water was filling moderately even paced, the size of Daichi definitely helped the jutsu. She just knew that even with things already at equal footing, she had a definite time limit before it was clear who the victor would be. Regardless if her limb hit or not, she followed up by charging at Sora, giving her no chance to recuperate. "You Kiri shinobi are dumbasses willing to die for a fucking comment." The Kunoichi stated again as water levels were definitely shoe-deep now.

TEMPbyAi ♥

SPOILER: Click to show

SA(S) USED:
Jiongu | Earth Grudge Fear

After having to recycle the roots that ended up killing the previous Apprentice just to transfer Jiongu to Kunikunosaku, the mass of black roots recollects most of its abilities from the Apprentice previous while forming new ones with its new master/host, Kunikunosaku. As far as the roots are concerned, like any organism, it desires to feed and survive, all else is not required, nor necessary to function. As for the Symbiotic Relationship benefits Kunikunosaku can control the thread-like roots however she wishes. The thread are quite versatile, acting much like surgical threads they can be used to sew up wounds stretch, or harden for attacks akin to squid tentacles, as well as being equally flexible and significantly dexterous. In time, Kunikunosaku will learn that as long as they keep a heart attached to at least some of the roots making up her body at all times, she is functionally immortal, only dying once all the threads are completely removed from any living hearts, and is unable to be poisoned. Because all of her vital organs and their corresponding systems are gone, Kunikunosaku has no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. The roots are sufficiently maintained by storing hearts that are pumping and living, in turn drawing sustenance from them. These roots also allow Kunikunosaku to utilize the inherent nature of any hearts she adds to their body, allowing them to perform jutsu of that element as if it was their natural affinity.

Symbiotic Relationship: Mutualism

After gaining knowledge on how Jiongu behaves and acts, Kunikunosaku developed a strong bond with the Jiongu entity. Accepting both live in her now; that both are what makes up Kunikunosaku. As a result of this understanding and bond, Jiongu aids her in combat - despite being a small boost. When conditions are met, Jiongu can provide an aided strength boost to Kunikunosaku during combat. It is still relative to her natural strength at the time. While this has no speed benefits, this boost of strength can put her up to par with the max strength of her peers at the same rank level. As she matures and gains new skills and new statuses. So too does her strength grow.

Symbiotic Bond: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As Kunikunosaku developed a stronger relationship with Jiongu, the creature bestowed Kunikunosaku an additional gift. That which is bestowed grants her the body as strong as her will. As long as she has the will to fight and keep pushing forward, Kunikunosaku has attained a sense of a strong body. She can still feel all the pain she receives, however, her will will push through it; literally making her body push through the pain and maintain functionality despite the egregious wounds she may receive. Overwhelming pain at one time or other will breaking input can debilitate the girl's will-driven tolerance to falter to the degree of an average shinobi, opening her up to common pain. It is this will that allows her to force the tendrils/roots/threads to repair themselves from injury or stitch back together. This will increases with her skill as she becomes more confident and driven to satiate both her needs and Jiongu's.

Power of a God:
After a great time learning how to control Jiongu, Kunikunosaku has learned to store chakra in each of her threads so long as they continue to be attached to at least one of her hearts. This extra storage capacity allows the girl to amass greater amounts of chakra within herself, expanding her reserves beyond that of the normal shinobi her rank. As with many other abilities, this ability continues to grow as the girl does through the ranks and years.

Cursed Master:

As a reward for attaining a greater deal of control over her symbiotic relationship with Jiongu, Kunikunosaku acquired the keys to the gate of mastering her abilities. This new boon allows Kunikunosaku to double the impact of her EGF ninjutsu. In addition, a passive boon is the ability to completely negate Jiongu's manipulation to consume more hearts. These boons together allow Kuni to further manipulate Jiongu against its basic natures, improving her unique utilization. While still young and unrefined, the ability is expected to grow as their bond deepens to even further levels.

Medical Knowledge:

Being from Takigakure's prestigious clan medical clan, Kunikunosaku is also set to learn the human anatomy, biology, and Kinesthetics, While this knowledge DOES NOT give her access to Medical Ninjutsu Techniques, however, the knowledge does unlock abilities of precision to the human body with every attack. This knowledge grants field combat medic aid but nowhere near the degree of those actually trained in it.

JUTSU(S) USED:
NAME: Genjutsu Shibari [Genjutsu Binding]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: To Use: Medium | To Maintain: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Genjutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
TRIGGER: Visual
DESCRIPTION:
As the name suggests, the user binds the opponent in a genjutsu by the opponent viewing the user glare, rendering them incapable of movement; and this genjutsu can be used on more than one target at the same time. Unlike other genjutsu that use illusory objects to stop movements, this genjutsu simply affects the target's sense of touch to make it feel as if every inch of their body surrounded by hardened cement, effectively paralyzing the target. Once the target(s) are bound, the user or an ally can rush up to the enemy and deliver a devastating killing blow.

NAME: Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Summoning Technique] (Daichi)
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low - Very High depending on summon.
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 5
DESCRIPTION:
One of the most common and beneficial techniques in the known shinobi world. Simply drawing blood and releasing a mass of chakra from one's extended hand is capable of calling an animal or otherwise to one's location. As a Space-Time Ninjutsu, this technique is capable of instantly displacing an intended summon from wherever they may be to the requested location, though there are obstacles that can prevent this. To use this jutsu, one must first make a contract with whatever they are summoning, living creature or not. Both the size and the stamina of what a shinobi calls upon increases the demand of chakra they must spend to perform the jutsu.

NAME:Nagai-shi no Jutsu [Long Limb Technique]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu | Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
DESCRIPTION:
By utilizing their kinjutsu, the user will extend on of their limbs. They can then direct the limbs to attack opponents with the maximum length of the limbs being 35 meters. Along with lengthening the limbs themselves the user can move a mass of tendrils and a heart with them into the limb, allowing it to act independently from the main body.

Daichi:
Name:Takitsubo no Jutsu - [Waterfall Basin Technique]
Rank:C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium [Potential Continuous]
Type:Ninjutsu
Element:Suiton
HANDSEALS: 3
Description:
Takitsubo no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu utilizing the Water Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals to create a large volume of water. This is a go to for many shinobi who specialize in Suiton techniques. It should be noted that for continually pouring in a moderate amount of chakra the user may keep making water. However while creating water the user can only move at a brisk walk at most.

EQUIPMENT USED:
01 | Ikari to Hisan (Continuous)