[Kuronmeru Shiu]

♔

There was a hint of amusement in his eyes, glimpsing hints of panic in her own actions. He had managed to surprise her, that was certain, and she seemed unsure of what to do with herself for a moment, uselessly fumbling her one good arm with the numb, stiff fingers of her other. It was exactly the sort of thing he liked to see.

Instead of seeing how futile her actions were, she ran back and began spilling tools from out of her sleeve. Not just one thing. Two kunai, a kusari-fundo, and that silly little umbrella of hers. It seemed as if she were preparing for an all-out war. Shiu had hoped that his one show of techniques would be enough for her to see the error in her ways, deter her from taking any further action, but ultimately it only seemed to bolster her resolve. It may have been amusing to him that she took this one, almost effortless action on his part as some sort of sign that he was serious about fighting her, but in spite of her newfound handicaps, she actually seemed to be making progress in whatever it was she was trying to do with that kunai—he was not sure. It was not a good time for him to fight. His chakra reserves were low and his body was still sore, thanks in large part to the scrap he’d gotten into with his brother not even an hour before, and frankly, she was just not worth the energy. Not only that, but he was unsure if they were in someone else’s yard or not, and while he did not care about whether he offended the property owner by doing whatever he wanted on someone else’s land, it was an unsuitable place for a fight, and it gave the character of someone too impulsive to wait to find a better place to duel. It was an image of himself that he did not wish to project.

His disappointment in how quickly she had calmed herself, as well as the insult of calling him a Yuki, made his smile falter. Shiu only shook his head slowly at her, forcing his temper to cool, and instead give the air of the derision an adult would use looking upon a child who misbehaved.

As she swung her kusari-fundo and approached him, Shiu brought his hands together calmly in the seal of the rat. The thin remnants of mist from the early morning fog began to thicken. The ambient temperature of the yard took a sharp dip, plunging it below freezing. The dew that had spotted the grass beneath their feet caked over with frost, and the leaves of the tree he was still standing under stiffened with ice. Even the bark of the tree began to look white behind mist. As far as Shizuka was able to see, the visage of Shiu had all but disappeared.

Instead of running or immediately preparing for some other attack, Shiu simply lowered himself to a crouch, so that if she decided to attack where he’d stood blindly, she might find her weapon swinging instead at the open air, or assaulting an innocent tree. He had learned in his brief fight with Sora that his jutsu was not infallible, and once he began moving from his spot, a keen ear could pick up on his direction. He would not be caught stationary without any defense at all, though, and as he waited to see if she would continue to try to attack, he laid his hands on the hilt of his sword should he need to pull it to try to intercept her weapon.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Shimogakure no Jursu [Hiding in Frost Technique]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: Hyōton
HANDSEALS: 1
REQUIREMENTS: Yuki Clan (Kiri or Yuki Branch)
DESCRIPTION:
By gathering the moisture present in the atmosphere, the user produces visually clouding frost by causing the temperature of air to fall below the freezing point, effectively freezing any ambient water vapour in the vicinity. The frost allows the user to become transparent within it. Upon being struck with an attack, the user becomes visible. The mist is visible to the naked eye, but since the user is transparent it voids that sense. While it cannot fool the Byakugan, but, due to the frost being created with the user's chakra, any Sharingan-user will see the frost coloured by their opponent's chakra, which will effectively hide the user from the dōjutsu.

coded by pinn @ thq

Shouki Shizuka

[Shouki Shizuka]

Shiu's recent silence made all the difference for Shizuka's attitude. His earlier provocations had broken her calm, and caused her to make a reckless mistake that resulted in her injury. He could have seized the initiative - defeated her on the spot while she was crippled, unsteady, and unprepared. But he hadn't. And now, Shizuka had collected herself. She was still driven by her emotions - all the anger, grief and fear from before - but they had settled within her and reached a balance. A precarious balance, and dangerous. In her eyes, Shiu was reduced to a target for elimination, and she was ready to bring all her training down to bear on him.

For Shiu, it was his pride that held him back. Despite the similarities between him and Shizuka, this pride was the greatest difference. While Shizuka was recalculating all the ways her opponent might best her, Shiu likely did not even consider the possibility of defeat. His arrogance went beyond a deadly flaw. It crippled him worse than Shizuka's frozen arm. When he completed his jutsu, he probably expected her to panic - to flail about helplessly while he took his time freezing every limb stiff. He had forgotten who it was he was fighting. Every genin of the mist learned to fight in low visibility, relying on their hearing. It was in the textbooks. And Shizuka had copied at least a dozen of them during her studies as a student of fuinjutsu - she knew every word.

So when Shiu disappeared before her, Shizuka was prepared. She focused her hearing, expecting the mists to render her sight useless. Yet, despite the frost spreading to every corner of the yard, she could still make out the outlines of each bush, bench and tree - obscured, but clear. She wondered, for a moment, if Shiu's technique was an illusion - a genjutsu affecting her sight. But she felt the bite of the chill in the air as the frost spread, and in the end, it changed little - her vision was compromised. Shiu had vanished without a trace - not even a sound.

It was his silence that damned him. While it was certainly the case that movement might give a hint at where he was standing, casting his jutsu right in front of Shizuka and failing to move at all was an even greater error. Minami Sora was a jounin standing near the pinnacle of the shinobi system, with over a decade of experience fighting with - and against - ninja who utilized the hidden mist technique. It was no surprise he would be unable to hide from her senses. Shouki Shizuka, on the other hand, was a mere genin - a few, simple, quiet steps in any direction could have hidden him completely.

Shizuka didn't have the luxury to worry about such subtle details, however. Shiu had vanished right in front of her, and she hadn't heard him move. She could only act while trusting her senses, so she decided quickly to attack the spot she last saw him standing. She closed within two meters and cast her weapon in a vertical arc - very careful not to let it be caught in the branches of the tree behind him. Slightly obscured by the freezing mist, the small weight would be difficult, but not impossible, to track with vision. The extended length of the chain gave Shizuka a sizeable range advantage, but it came at the cost of velocity, so Shiu would have time to defend himself.

If he attempted to parry the weight with his sword, it might be his last mistake of the duel. As it hurtled down towards his head, near the last moment the weight would shoot out farther behind him, leaving only the chain exposed to be parried. Whether he used his sword or sheath, the chain would bend around Shiu's defenses, coiling and entangling his outstretched arm, and leaving him vulnerable to Shizuka's next attacks.

Dodging would be the more prudent approach - he had ample time to maneuver, and the crashing of the weight into the ground would cover his footsteps no matter where he chose to go.

SPOILER: Click to show

New Jutsu
NAME: Hebi no O [Snake's Tail]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:

This technique is performed with a chain. The chain with the weight on its end is tossed at the foe with the force applied in a specific way, so that if it hits something, it doesn't bounce off, but instead wraps around and ensnares it. This technique is primarily used to trap opponents.

SA
Enhanced Concentration
Shizuka's concentration is unbreakable. While focusing on a single opponent, she fights more efficiently, evading attacks without wasted movement and exploiting every tiny opening. Her efficiency increases as she continues to observe the same target – their habits and patterns becoming clear. Shizuka's concentration is particularly dangerous when her opponent attempts the same technique multiple times – Shizuka's anticipation allows her to preempt such repetitions, greatly reducing their effectiveness. While concentrating, Shizuka retains her normal awareness of non-targets.

Equipment
Kusari-fundo - 3m chain connecting two weights, both inscribed with a 300 lb. Omokute Karui seal on the bottom

Jutsu
NAME: Fūinjutsu: Ikari [Sealing Technique: Anchor]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Fūinjutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 1 [Ox]
DESCRIPTION:

A fuuinjutsu of the pre-written variety, the user writes 錨 onto a medium before sealing away their chakra. During the seal's preparation, the user can set the jutsu to be activated automatically or manually but not both. When the jutsu is activated, 5 sealing lines 5 meters in length with fly out from the seal, latching onto the first moving objects they come across in range, 'anchoring' the objects to the seal's location. The lines move at the speed of thrown ninja tools and have the strength of steel chains and can be broken with enough force. Damaging the seal/medium in any way will also dispel the jutsu. If set to be automatic, the jutsu will activate on its own if something within 5 meters of the seal moves, and if set to be manual, the user must form the proper handseal while within 25 meters.

NAME: Omokute Karui [Heavy and Light]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low [Activation], Low [Deactivation]
CLASSIFICATION: Fuinjutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: One, One
REQUIREMENT: Senkin [Great Weight] or Oshiishi [Stone Weight], Seals are placed on self.
DESCRIPTION:

A simple modification that can be placed upon the weight increasing seals when applying them to oneself, or objects, but not onto another person. By performing the 'Snake' handseal the user can deactivate the weight from the seals returning them to a normal body weight unhindered by the self-imposed additional weight to their body. Similarly by performing the 'dog' handseal the user can return the weight to their body. This can allow someone to effectively utilize their weighted form, or lack thereof, as one could by putting on or taking off training weights.

[Kuronmeru Shiu]

♔

It was difficult to say whether his choice to stay still had been a result of an underestimation or overestimation of her abilities. Shiu had expected her to, at the very least, check her surroundings to make sure that he hadn’t body flickered somewhere around her. Instead, pig-headed as she apparently was, she attacked in the exact spot where he had chosen to hunker down, and she just so happened to approach with her weapon in the exact worst angle for him. Disengaging from this fight was no longer an option.

The kusari-fundo was an odd weapon, and one he had not fought against often. Though the distance for which she cast it out from slowed its velocity, by crouching, Shiu had made it very difficult for himself to dodge. It may not have been impossible—he could have just as easily set up a substitute rather than reach for his sword—but it was not in his instinct to evade. The thought of it never even occurred to him.

Instead of moving himself out of the way, Shiu drove his strength into the ground, pushing himself to his feet and stepping forward. As he did so, in one practiced motion, he unsheathed his katana and swung it in a fluid arc. The blade collided with the kusari-fundo’s chain, pushing it horizontally, but this only increased the momentum of the weight on the chain’s end.

Shiu’s eyes widened for a moment as the light weight swung around, several times, twisting around his sword and ensnaring his wrists, snaking its way down the beginning of his forearms. The weight itself did not even have the power behind it to bruise when it snapped against his skin, but the contact of the chains around his arms was enough to revert his jutsu, bringing Shiu back into Shizuka’s line of sight, even as the haze of frost remained around them.

Shiu set his jaw and furrowed his brow. As surprised as he was, being caught off guard only invigorated his resolve. He knew she had wrapped the other end of her kusari-fundo around her still-frozen arm, and slipping her own arm out of it, albeit not impossible, would be difficult.

His sword was almost useless to him now, so there was no reason to keep both of his hands on it. As best as he could, Shiu twisted his dominant right to get a little more of a grip on the chain before yanking it towards him. Given the distance between them, it was unlikely he would be able to do more than throw her off her balance, or at the very least agitate some discomfort in her frozen arm. He nevertheless used this same movement to close his arms defensively against his torso and turn his side to face towards her, in a vain hope of bringing her close enough to ram his shoulder into her.

All of these actions very well could be complicated by the activation of the weapon’s omokute karui seals, of which Shiu was unaware. Depending on her timing of their activation, if she chose to do so, Shizuka would likely not be the only one thrown off balance.

coded by pinn @ thq

Shouki Shizuka

[Shouki Shizuka]

Shizuka could be called lucky. She was lucky her opponent was already tired. That he had underestimated her skill, ignored her threats and fought her anyway. She was lucky he was unfamiliar with her weapons, and didn't yet realize how to fully take advantage of his own techniques. There was a point, however, where luck could no longer be credited or blamed.

Shiu could unbalance Shizuka no more than he might a mountain. She resisted his pull with the practiced ease of a fisherman, giving up ground when needed while keeping her distance. Where her own power was not enough, she freely used chakra to bolster her strength and maintain a steady form. Shiu's chakra control was superior, but it made little difference. His reserves were depleted, and in the end his frantic attempt at tug-of-war only delayed the completion of Shizuka's technique by a few seconds.

Shizuka herself was surprised at how easily Shiu had been captured. She almost expected to miss, and was more prepared to receive a counterattack than take advantage of her strike. Her frozen left hand was locked in the wrong form to activate her weight increasing seals, so she struggled with her icy fingers to weave the correct sign. It was only one, but the effort took many seconds to finish. Fortunately for Shizuka, her opponent was not rushing to free himself.

With the jutsu completed, the mass of the weight hanging from Shiu's tangled arm increased several hundred fold, dragging him towards the ground with 300 pounds of force.

"What a waste of time..." The edge was gone from Shizuka's tone. Her interest in the duel faded as quickly as it came. "How does someone so powerless become so cruel?"

She sighed and watched Shiu with an expression mixing pity and contempt. She wasn't yet sure if she was supposed to apologize for her outburst or knock him senseless. She could only reflect on what a waste of time the entire endeavor had been. Though, perhaps that was for the better - if she had caught the clan torturer stoking the furnace and carrying out his work, things would not have ended well. She had promised herself that she would challenge every death in the clan, but she had no idea what that meant, yet. She was at least sure it didn't involve picking fights with outsiders.

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu
NAME: Omokute Karui [Heavy and Light]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low [Activation], Low [Deactivation]
CLASSIFICATION: Fuinjutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: One, One
REQUIREMENT: Senkin [Great Weight] or Oshiishi [Stone Weight], Seals are placed on self.
DESCRIPTION:

A simple modification that can be placed upon the weight increasing seals when applying them to oneself, or objects, but not onto another person. By performing the 'Snake' handseal the user can deactivate the weight from the seals returning them to a normal body weight unhindered by the self-imposed additional weight to their body. Similarly by performing the 'dog' handseal the user can return the weight to their body. This can allow someone to effectively utilize their weighted form, or lack thereof, as one could by putting on or taking off training weights.