Disdain for samurai aside, there was a part of him that had to respect their skill.
"Whatever else she is... she's certainly no fool." He thought, equal parts impressed and frustrated that she did not fall for his shepherding into his caltrop trap.
Unfortunately he would not have much time to dwell on this fact as the rōnin deflected In's exploding kunai with ease and turned to dart towards the bridge.
"Damn. Kazama." He thought to himself, his mind racing to course correct. Uemon was not overly concerned with the woman's wellbeing... but if she fell, he would be left to clean up.
So like it or not he would have to intervene here. Detaching his threads from his wolfdog, he finally dispelled his Henge as his fingers moved to form a single
Tora hand seal. Shortly after an exact duplicate of himself poofed into existence via the
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and with both of them understanding what needed to be done, the clone leapt from the treetop and sprinted through the brush. Forming another Tora seal itself as it raced alongside her...
To blur from sight with a quick usage of the
Shunshin no Jutsu and cut off her escape.
"Samurai." The bunshin spat, as it flickered into sight just before the bridge, swiping
three shuriken from a hip pouch to hurl at her in hopes that the projectiles and his sudden presence would be enough to stop her advance short.
"Are you fleeing already?"Any second he could buy himself was valuable as his real body jumped from tree to tree. Looking to set up for a surprise attack while his clone ran interference.
"If your opponent is of choleric temper..." He thought, recalling his sensei's words.
"Seek to irritate her." As Uemon prepared above, his clone stood fast. The hood on its jacket having fallen during its flickering. A young man with tan skin, dark hair, a scar on his brow, and in the company of wolves...
Unbeknownst to him the woman did indeed have orders to find this 'Masamune Fudo' figure, and because of that she might very well recognize him from his appearance alone. Once again he would attach his threads to In and Yō.
Though they were damaged, all he needed was one solid opportunity to bring this all to an end. And if worse came to worse... he always had
that.
"Take the bait, damn you." Uemon thought as he ushered his wolfdogs forward to the woman's flanks. As quickly and quietly as he could, hoping their collective impaired hearing would aid his efforts.
OFFENSIVE TECHNIQUES:
NAME: Kugutsu no Jutsu - [Puppet Technique]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low [Continuous]
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [Puppetry]
ELEMENT: N/A
DESCRIPTION:
The fundamental and most used technique of the style, Kugutsu no Jutsu allows a puppeteer the ability to use puppets in battle. While the degree in skill determines the number of puppets that can be controlled, for starters the user can control only one. By making near invisible strings of chakra from each of their ten fingertips and attaching them to their puppets they are able to control the puppet from various distances. However there is a delay between the puppeteers orders and the puppets movements, meaning puppet movement will not be instantaneous, and the response time increases based on distance.
SUPPORTIVE TECHNIQUES:
NAME: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu [Shadow Clone Technique]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:
The Kage Bunshin technique evenly distributes your chakra between one or more clones with form and substance. The clones created by this technique are able to utilize any jutsu the original ninja knows, has all of their special abilities, as well as their kekkei genkai. Typically a clone's equipment doesn't retain any special abilities and the clone itself is dispersed when hit with a single attack or incapacitated, although the clone can also choose to disperse itself or be dispersed by the user. When the clone finally disperses, any new knowledge it has gained along with it's remaining chakra are passed back to the original ninja and any additional clones.
NAME: Shunshin no Jutsu [Body Flicker Technique] *(Used by Shadow Clone)
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:
By invigorating one's entire body with chakra, a shinobi can seemingly disappear and reappear in another location faster than most people can see. Often times one's movements are disguised with the use of an extra element, be it a smoke bomb, leaves, water, sand, etc. in order to hide the user's trajectory from those with skilled eyes. Though it mimics teleportation, it is important to remember this jutsu merely boosts the agility of its user. As useful as this technique is, it can only be used 4 times in a battle thread, compounding in exertion and difficulty each time. with any more usages beyond that result in muscle tears in the legs from overexertion. The hand seal for this technique must be held until the shinobi reaches their destination, making it impossible to utilize other techniques regardless of any preparation.
ITEMS USED/PREPARED:
NAME: Shuriken (x3)
CLASSIFICATION: Supplementary
DESCRIPTION:
Another aerodynamic throwing weapon. The shuriken's star like shape allows them to be easily drawn from a shinobi's storage and thrown with relative ease. Unlike the Kunai however, shuriken typically are not used as melee weapons. Although small, they can be used to distract, pin down enemy shinobi, or if accurate enough, can kill or incapacitate an enemy. They have an open circle in the center, useful for grabbing with a finger, to avoid cutting oneself, or to put thread through.
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
KASHIRA-WARI・首割り - ENHANCED CHAKRA CONTROL
Puppeteers must maintain expert control over their wide selection of puppets, and so too must a shinobi with their chakra. Necessary for his Puppet Ninjutsu and applicable to his other techniques, Uemon has trained extensively in order to mitigate the amount of chakra he uses with his jutsu. Compensating for his average chakra reserves this allows him to stay in the fight that much longer.
TSUKURIMONO・作り物 - INTELLIGENCE
Stage and setting can make or break a performance. A director needs vigilance and flexibility to ensure all the moving parts of a play go off without a hitch. A learned strategist with a quick mind, Uemon is always observing even in the midst of combat. This allows for him to find gaps and weaknesses in his opponent's techniques easier than some, and allows him to formulate strategies and deceptions to take advantage of these shortcomings. A knack for tactics cues him on which approach works best depending on his target.
ASHIZUKAI・足遣い - SPEED
Operating the legs of a puppet requires dexterity and agility. Much like moving one's own body. As a child in Tetsu no Kuni Uemon trained in Jujitsu and Kenjutsu, finding his aptitude for speed rather than strength. Honed after years on the road with his mentors, Uemon is surprisingly light on his feet and his hand-to-hand strikes are faster than most expect. Able to strike and weave with deft swiftness he is capable of holding his own against Taijutsu specialists of his rank and outright overwhelming those of lower ranks in terms of speed.
SHOMEI・署名 - SENSOR TYPE
Lighting is a crucial part of any play. Identifying the actors and drawing focus to them in the dark. With much training Uemon has become a Sensor Type, able to detect and hone in on chakra signatures akin to a sixth sense of sorts. A useful tool when it comes to tracking or surveillance. As of now, he is capable of passively sensing chakra up to one hundred meters from his body, or one kilometer if actively searching. This also allows him to more efficiently utilize his puppets without needing a direct line of sight to his targets. Knowing the placement of actors on stage at all times is essential.
