[hirana kizumi]

After the Raikage’s speech, a massive man of the Fujiyama clan would step forward to take over the nitty-gritty of moving the days’ events along: some of the genin from group C would recognize him as the "trapped” man who had lain in the road beneath his toppled cart the day prior. When the previous fight concluded, he cleared his throat to announce the sixth of the day's fights. "Next up! Kayahara Urikohime of Konohagakure! Versus! Our youngest participant, Uzumaki Ataru of Konohagakure!” There were two vivid yellow stripes painted onto the hard-packed dirt ground of the arena about twenty meters apart: designated starting zones for each of the genin to stand on. They would be instructed to bow, and then the countdown for the round to start would begin. "Three… …two… …one… Begin!” KAYAHARA URIKOHIME VS. UZUMAKI ATARU

Kayahara Urikohime Uzumaki Ataru

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kayahara Urikohime]

A new day, and a new challenge. Uriko had come to the exact same place in the last exams where she had lost. And there seemed to be a number of similarities with the last time. Firstly, it seemed she was being paired with a rather young kid again. As a matter of fact, the proctor had even declared him to be the youngest contestant. Also, they were both from the same village. Just like last time. This time, though, Uriko hoped she was better prepared to handle one-on-one battles. And this time, she would be less likely to hold back.

In a way, Uriko considered that she had a little advantage, this being that she had sparred with Ataru before. She was sure he had some talent in taijutsu, thanks to how their sparring had gone. This time, she was going to be able to use more than taijutsu, but she had to be careful. It was likely that Ataru would attempt to close the distance between both of them, as soon as the fight started, in order to press his advantage.

As her name was called, Uriko stood at the designated marked area, bowed and then waited, but not before giving Ataru a thumbs-up. As soon as the match was called to begin, Uriko's hand slipped into her weapon pouch, and she pulled out a smoke bomb, which she threw at her feet. The plan was to obscure things while she set up her next moves. Placing a Himitsuba needle in her mouth, she drew three shuriken and emerged from the smoke, seeking the Uzumaki. If she saw him, she would throw the three weapons at him.

SPOILER: Click to show

TL;DR: Dropped smoke bomb, put Himitsuba senbon (treated with Aogeki) in her mouth, exited smoke, threw three shuriken at Ataru, if she saw him.

hirana kizumi | Uzumaki Ataru

[Uzumaki Ataru]

The first thing Ataru did before the match up was stretch, bending over first to the left and then the right before doubling over and touching his feet - now limber and warmed up enough he stares ahead with a smile and friendly wave at his favorite melon hair colored healer. Back when he was an Academy Student they had shared some time together in the throes of idle conversation and even a small bout of sparring, she had been one of the first to start him on his fast track path towards graduation. Something he was still quite grateful for... thinking back to their spar recalling she was a fairly cunning and adept opponent.

Knowing that their abilities were better suited to range especially given how their last engagement had gone with something perhaps up her sleeve given what she knew of him, having brainstormed on what kind of method to use even before staging themselves at the start point he devises a tactic banking on employing a form of shock and awe. As his name is called the boy occupies his designated placement within the marked area, as the match kicks off with the signal Ataru brandishes their Fuma Shuriken as the smoke bomb is tossed down holding it in-hand as he proceeds to place the flash bomb within the center hole making sure its seated firmly before slapping on two explosive tags on opposing fins.

Spinning it to gain an initial spin for increased velocity as he looks outwards trying to gauge where she is amongst the cloud before letting it fly forth upon sighting her. Throwing it on a path towards her as the silhouette of their body emerges into clear view and she throws a series of Kunai at them. The boy proceeds to quickly evade with a series of side steps as the Fuma shuriken would be hurled forward and as it nears her person the flashbang effect would immediately go off in an attempt to blind her and subsequently a couple of staggered explosions would follow potentially hurting them not only through the explosions themselves but also pepper her form them with fragmentation born from the metal protrusions as the body of the imposing ninja tool still continues sailing towards them.

SPOILER: Click to show

Hand Seal Speed SA
Enhanced Reflexes SA
Enhanced Speed SA

[Kayahara Urikohime]

As Uriko emerged from the smoke, she saw Ataru, with a large shuriken in his hand, which he promptly flung at her, as she let fly her own projectiles. She had two options: either attempt to dodge the shuriken, or deflect it. While dodging required less chakra to execute, she went with the option which was more natural to her: a barrier defense. Her hands flew through three handseals, which, due to constant practice and natural proclivity, were second nature to her.

"Kekkai: Kabe!"

Although Uriko expected the shuriken to ricochet off the wall, there was a deafening explosion, which splintered the wall, as Uriko leaped away from the smoke raised by the blast. The wall had held enough to protect her from both the light bomb and the explosive tags, but it had been shattered. For her part, she was unharmed. Seemed like she was in the same situation as her fight in the previous exams; Itsuki had relied greatly on explosives himself. Back then, she had been worried about injuring the Yamanaka, and she had lost. Even though Ataru was a child, there was no need to show him that same concern. After all, if she had tried to dodge the fuuma shuriken he had thrown, she would have been messed up pretty badly.

The question was: how to get him. Since he was maintaining distance between himself and her, Uriko decided to try and take advantage of that. Pulling two senbon out of her weapon pouch, Uriko performed two handseals and threw them, even as she spat the one in her mouth out, using Shita Toge. Usually, the Shita Toge technique would not permit the senbon she had spat to fly far enough to reach Ataru, but that was why she had performed the two handseals. All three senbon she had sent at him were infused with wind chakra, and if he dodged or blocked, which Uriko expected, she would move her arms and the needles would loop round in the air, coming at Ataru again. And this time, she would try to make them come at him from behind, so he wouldn't see them.

SPOILER: Click to show

Relevant SA: Diamond Warfare: Barrier arts Supremacy

Jutsu Used:

NAME: Kekkai: Kabe (Barrier: Wall)
RANK: D
TECH TYPE: universal | Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: None
CHAKRA USAGE:Very low - Very High depending on size of wall/ Very Low to maintain
DESCRIPTION:
The user creates a solid wall like barrier that appears almost instantly anywhere within a 15ft radius. The wall itself is highly durable and requires D ranked jutsu power to shatter anything lower would simply be ineffective against the wall if not outright break after coming in contact with it, with weapons would need to be empowered with chakra to do any damage though that are not are ineffective with projectiles harmless clattering down to the ground. The wall can be sprung up in a moments notice and the shape and size of it varies depending on the users preference and chakra use (anywhere between 5ft and 15ft tall). As many walls can be made as the user wishes to make (or have the chakra to make) however the plus side is that once the walls are created they take no chakra to maintain. Requires three hand seals.

NAME: Fūton: Kaiten Shuriken [Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low-Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Fūton
HANDSEALS: 2
REQUIREMENTS: Weapon/s
DESCRIPTION:
By coating wind-natured chakra into weapons the user is capable of controlling their weapons remotely. While they are in this state the user has free range over the weapons trajectory and the weapons themselves gain a natural boon in their range, effectively allowing them to weave around obstacles to hit their targets from much further than standard ranges. The user must utilize their hand(s) to direct the movements of the weapons & in the event of multiple weapons one is capable of using each hand to control different weapon trajectories. While this technique can be used effectively from afar the control one can place upon them tend to lessen with extended use that normally come with large distances far beyond their standard effective throwing range. However, the amount of chakra an individual must use to effect one's weapons varies in terms of both size and design. Range & Control can also be reduced based on the design of the weapon itself such as a Shuriken, designed for flight, would have a greater control range than a Katana. Can control weapons upward to 3 posts while within range.

-Very Low: 4 Max: Shuriken, Kunai, Arrows, or other similar sized ranged weapons.
-Low: 2 Max: Folding Fūma Shuriken (or other of similar size), Swords.
-Medium: 1 Max: Giant Fūma Shuriken, Zanbatō's

-1-10m: Full Control
-11-30m: Minor Control
-3-0m+: No Control

NAME: Shita Toge [Tongue Spine]
RANK: E
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
An extremely simple bukijutsu that requires the use of a senbon. The user must prepare this jutsu ahead of time by placing a small senbon inside their mouth. The user then wraps their tongue around the senbon to act like a pipe of sorts and sticks it out of their lips. The user then blows hard sending the senbon flying 2-3m. The senbon doesn't really have enough force to penetrate and would only give the slightest of pin pricks to skin making this jutsu less suited for combat and more suited for school yard pranks. However, it can still be considered somewhat dangerous as a hit to the eye could cause some notable damage.

hirana kizumi | Uzumaki Ataru

[Uzumaki Ataru]

Standing at a distance, Ataru watched on keenly as things unfolded before him taking in a distant view of the field as things evolved. Although he sent the large shuriken partially on a trajectory slightly off from them her so as to ensure she wasn't injured fully by its effects the boy found that it didn't much matter. As a mud wall emerges from the ground and hardens and hardens forming a barrier against against the spinning whirl of metal, watching as it impacts and subsequently sets off with a thunderous explosion rocking the immediate area and sending out a pulse of air radiating outwards.

Observing as the wall falls in on itself crumbling down to a low ruin, as the air clears the boy was glad to see that she was unhurt but that didn't mean he would drop his guard nor give up easily just because a part of him was gladdened to see that she weathered it well. As he holds his hands together keeping together the five hand seals he had prepared towards the end of the actions beforehand Ataru locked eyes with the woman enacting the jutsu as the senbon came sailing towards him with deadly intent. Where he stood, the remains of the Fuma Shuriken would fall to the floor with a dull thud, two of the fins rife with damage and fragments falling away from its surface.

Exchanging places with the object through the Kawarimi no Jutsu, he immediately moves to close in the distance and engage with the woman in melee. Seeking to capitalize on surprising her for however long that element might last utilizing his speed to bridge the gap, the Uzumaki seeks to attack from her blind spot performing a well-trained combination the initial one meant as a feint should she prove to catch on whereas the rest the next fly forth intending to impact along her body.

SPOILER: Click to show

Passive Abilities:
Speed SA
Enhanced Reflexes SA
Large Chakra Reserves SA
Enhanced Handseal SA

Jutsu:
NAME: Kawarimi no Jutsu [Body Replacement Technique]
RANK: E
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 5
DESCRIPTION:
After performing the necessary hand seals (one post prior to the technique's use) and locating a nearby object within a 10 meter radius (typically a log or something of similar size to their body.), the user switches places with the said object just before an attack lands, creating an optical illusion. During the small interval where they have left their opponent surprised, they may take the time to attack or flee.

NAME: Konoha Senpu - [Tree Leaf Whirlwind]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
A taijutsu where one launches a succession of high kicks and low kicks. Firstly, the opponent's evasion margin is restrained upon seeing the high kick, thus augmenting the chances for the low kick to hit the mark. So originally the high kick is little more than a feint.

[Kayahara Urikohime]

Although Uriko did not know what sort of means he would use to avoid the projectiles she had thrown, she had certainly suspected that he would avoid them, which was why she had bothered to spend extra chakra on infusing the projectiles with wind chakra. They would be utilized for the next stage of her plans, but not just yet.

First, what did she know? That Ataru had used Kawarimi no jutsu, thanks to him vanishing in a puff of smoke, and the remains of the fuuma shuriken he had thrown falling to the ground where he had previously been. As he had not appeared in her line of sight, he was definitely somewhere behind her. Jumping forward, while spinning round, Uriko swung her arms, pretending as though she was wheeling her arms round for aerodynamic assistance, to control her spin. Her moving arms, however, served another purpose. The shuriken and senbon she had thrown would wheel round in the air, changing trajectory and zooming back towards Ataru as he charged Uriko.

"Damn, he's fast!"

Still, her plan was in motion. Hopefully he wouldn't see the three projectiles returning for him. But even if he did, there was a reason Uriko had chosen two shuriken and a senbon. The shuriken were more obvious, but the senbon was not, unless Ataru had great observatory abilities. She tried to step away from his high kick, only to realize it was a feint. Ataru's leg swept her off the ground. Still, he hadn't given her a debilitating or unsettling blow, allowing her to attempt to direct her thrown weapons at him, keeping them behind him as best as she could afford, even as she fell to one knee. Aware of her precarious position, she was ready to attempt to parry with one hand if he pressed his attack.

SPOILER: Click to show

2nd post of Fūton: Kaiten Shuriken [Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken] at play. Uriko is trying to deceive Ataru into not noticing why she is swinging her arms. The senbon, which will be the most difficult to see, is poisoned.

Passives:
Chakra Control SA
High Intelligence SA
Barrier Proficiency SA

hirana kizumi | Uzumaki Ataru

[Uzumaki Ataru]

His leg carried on from its false move exchanging hands from a feinting maneuver into swinging headlong into the crux of her knee at the place where the joints connect, smashing into it with enough force to cause her to bend down hard into the dirt likely sending a shoot of pain radiating throughout the extremity. As soon as his feet touch the ground he bounces off the ball of his feet with immense speed using this opportunity to seem as if he might dodge left before banking right towards her flank seeking to get behind and strike at her exposed side as she finds themselves momentary immobilized.

In the corner of his eye as he swings around pivoting into her blind spot, the boy witnesses the shuriken flying in a strange manner on a altogether different trajectory especially given how they were originally directed towards him in the beginning of their exchange. Understanding in that moment that they and whatever else on that weaving path of flight were being manipulated by Urikohime he seeks to turn the tables on his target. Timing his action as the tools approach, as the Shurikens near and she finds themselves vulnerable Ataru flanks around moving to direct her into the path of the incoming Shuriken at the last moment.

Grabbing her by the back of the hair with one hand as he knees her in the spine, using her as a body shield the boy subsequently draws a Kunai leveling it to her throat. "Dispel the Jutsu, and give up the bout please Uriko-san."

SPOILER: Click to show

Passive Abilities:
Speed SA
Enhanced Reflexes SA
Large Chakra Reserves SA
Enhanced Handseal SA

[hirana kizumi]

To get this out of the way: my first minor note is that in rotation 2, it's mentioned in Ataru's post that he had performed the 5 handseals required for Body Replacement in the rotation prior, but that's not actually mentioned in his prior post. Volker, I'm aware that you messaged me to state that Ataru was preparing the Body Replacement technique which is why I'm letting it stand, but I also very explicitly told you to make sure that it was documented on the forum, which is where it actually matters. A different battlemod reviewing Ataru's use of the Body Replacement technique has absolutely no context for Ataru having prepared the technique in advance as is required, which is why I requested that you clearly state it within the post. Moving on to the requested arbitration. What is currently written: In rotation 2, Uriko uses Rotating Shuriken on three senbon; she's spitting one with Shita Toge and throwing the other two at Ataru. she's expecting Ataru to dodge in some way and is prepared to manipulate the senbon to account for this. one of the senbon is poisoned. Ataru uses Body Replacement to switch positions with his Fuma Shuriken, then closes the distance and uses Tree Leaf Whirlwind (high kick feint, low kick actual strike). In rotation 3, after Ataru vanishes in a puff of smoke and is no longer in Uriko's line of sight she reasons that he is behind her, so she jumps forward, spins around to face Ataru, and disguises her manipulation of the senbon [currently described on-forum as two shuriken and one senbon; the senbon is poisoned] as flailing arm movements, adjusting their trajectory as planned and targeting Ataru. She tries to dodge the high kick feint but fell for the low kick strike as a result, falling to one knee and trying to make sure her projectiles hit Ataru while also trying to prepare to attempt to parry if he follows up with further attacks. After Ataru's low kick from Tree Leaf Whirlwind lands, he feints left then banks right to flank Uriko. In the process of flanking he sees the shuriken and decides to remain in place to be able to perform the Tunnel Strike technique. he explicitly states that he gets behind her in order to target her kidney, spine, and the back of her head with the Tunnel strike technique, then he attempts to knock her into the path of her own oncoming projectiles. How it should resolve: Despite the projectiles being declared in rotation 2 as being three senbon, we are going to move forward with the understanding that they are two shuriken and one poisoned himitsuba senbon. I believe that makes the most sense based on Uriko’s rotation 2 and 3 posts as well as maintaining the thread of logic for Ataru’s actions in his rotation 3 post. It is fully reasonable for Uriko, who has an enhanced intelligence SA and declared within her post ahead of time that she was expecting Ataru to dodge, to see the puff of smoke caused by the body replacement technique and deduce that he has repositioned to be behind her. Her enhanced mental acuity would allow her to distill that information, turn around to get Ataru in her sightline, and perform the hand/finger movements necessary to manipulate all three projectiles to correctly target Ataru. The Rotating Shuriken technique as used is more than capable of manipulating senbon. They are smaller and lighter projectiles than even arrows and kunai, which the technique is explicitly capable of manipulating at very low cost, which is the chakra cost Uriko paid for the technique. Uriko is attempting to disguise her hand movements, but there is only so much that she is able to do this without sacrificing her own accuracy; the technique states that the user must utilize their hands to direct the movements of the weapons, and without further manipulation they would simply maintain trajectory. The need for the projectiles to pivot, re-target Ataru, and then re-gain velocity in the opposite direction would require purposeful hand motions as well as some time for the projectiles to get back up to speed. The two shuriken are visually obvious to Ataru, but the explicitly smaller-than-normal senbon is not. Ataru would be able to see Uriko’s hand motions and understand that she is controlling the projectiles. The projectiles are already targeting and flying towards Ataru when he closes in to perform the Tree Leaf Whirlwind technique. He feints, then lands a kick to Uriko’s knee, which causes her knee to give out from under her and makes her fall to one knee on the ground. As soon as his kick lands he twists around to reposition to Uriko’s flank. Given his speed and reflexes SA, at this point Ataru has the option to either try to use the Tunnel Strike technique against Uriko, remaining in place to do so and be struck by the projectiles as a result; or try to force Uriko into the line of fire of her projectiles. Using the Tunnel Strike technique will not cancel out Uriko’s Rotating Shuriken technique even if all three punches land, and in either scenario Uriko still has the opportunity to react to mitigate the damage being done. Obligatory note that the poison in use (Aogeki) does not line up with modern poison application standards and should be appealed to be updated ASAP. As I didn’t catch this prior to the event starting, I’m not going to hold up the entire fight based on this, but in order to maintain its C-rank state while also having a fast-acting Major Effect according to the current poison guidelines, I would recommend that Uriko should operate as though she currently only has access to five liquid doses total of this poison, with one being used in the first round of the exams; meaning she has three doses of the poison remaining before needing to restock. Thank you for your business at TACTICIAN INC.! We hope to see you again soon! :Yay:

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kayahara Urikohime]

Ataru zoomed around Uriko, giving him the opportunity to see the flying shuriken coming his way. Well, that was a problematic issue. She would just have to adapt her strategy and roll with the punches... or kicks. Even though she had been brought down to one knee, Uriko still had both hands free, and it was on the freedom of her hands that she would attempt to place the success of her next plan.

Uriko felt the boy's knee slam into her spine, and, out of the corner of her eye, saw the kunai approaching to threaten her unprotected neck. She responded by grabbing Ataru's wrist, the one with which he held the kunai, while her other hand reached backwards to find purchase on any point of his body, preferably clothing. As she did, she pulled forward and down, seeking to throw herself into a crouch and have Ataru hunch over her, in which case he would realize that he was still in the way of the incoming projectiles.

There was a simple fact which Uriko hoped would give her the advantage, even though Ataru was better than she was in taijutsu: Uriko was way heavier than him, almost twice his weight. This way, using her body weight, she hoped to control his lighter weight into the way of the projectiles, while dodging them by ducking under them. It was too early to surrender when she still had so many options.

@tacticial1 | Uzumaki Ataru

[Uzumaki Ataru]

Uriko was in fact bigger in him, in fact practically every person at the exam was and as such each person held an advantage on him in the realm of physicality and by extension close quarters. Its why he relied upon his speed to deliver quick yet powerful rabbit-like strikes and utilized his honed reflexes to not only try and outdo his opponents but look to outpace them. And in this exchange it was no different, as he closed the distance and seeks to end things decisively, he was more than a little wary of things that might upset his play at catching his opponent off guard and hopefully dead to rights. Wrenching the woman by her hair while subsequently attempting to position himself out of reach as she grasps backwards he finds himself fully unable to outstretch their reach. Abandoning their grasp on her hair as her wrist lunges to seize the hand holding the Kunai the boy slams the ringed pommel of the knife down upon the back of her wrist, thereafter leaping backwards out of the line of trajectory from the incoming Shuriken seeking to dodge out of the way. 

Breathing a frustrated huff at his failure, forking out their tongue past full lips before retracting it and focusing on the fight ahead of them. For better or worse Ataru didn't really want to hurt his fellow nin, especially one he felt a semblance familiar with but that didn't mean there was weakness in the boy; age or no. His goal was to see things over without seeing any serious harm come to either of them anymore than was already attempted as well as to not expend anymore chakra. "Care to ends things in a tie?" For Ataru a lesson that was drilled into him not only during his graduation exam but from his mother as well as many others he'd come to learn from was that a ninja needed to know not only how to fight but also the ability to choose when to. Putting the offer to Uirkohime not just because she was from Konoha but because there was still another fight ahead of them and as shinobi they woul d need to preserve their strength for the fight ahead of them.

[hirana kizumi]

Hello, me again back with another round of arbitration from TACTICIAN INC.! First thing to get out of the way—I know I just went over this in the discord channel, but I’m gonna go over it again here just to cover my bases: in my last piece of moderation, I stated that Ataru could try to force Uriko into the line of fire of her projectiles. Ataru’s post has been edited to very firmly state that Ataru has grabbed Uriko by the hair, kneed her in the spine, and successfully accomplished this, which is godmodding. Specificity of language is critical here: changing the sentence "Grabbing her by the back of the hair with one hand as he knees her in the spine, using her as a body shield the boy subsequently draws a Kunai leveling it to her throat.” to "He would try to grab her by the back of her hair with one hand, and if successful, would then knee her in the spine, using her as a body shield. He would then subsequently draw a Kunai leveling it to her throat.”completely resolves this issue. If-then clauses, guys! You can’t say that Ataru is successful in doing this because you don’t know what Uriko is able to do to react, evade, deflect, etc etc. You need to give your thread partners room to engage and react with the actions that you’re taking. Even stating action and then INTENDED result is better than outright stating what’s happening; for example, Ronin writes that Uriko "pulled forward and down, seeking to throw herself into a crouch and have Ataru hunch over her.” Actions that are being taken and the goal of those actions are written without actually resolving them, because Ataru has not yet reacted, and Ataru has room to react accordingly! A very important distinction! Another important note, because I want to address this comment made during your discussion: "I don't think that having higher speed and reflexes allows one to be so much faster than an opponent their rank, especially at Genin level. Uriko may be slower than Ataru, but that doesn't mean she cannot take him by surprise.” Context is everything! Enhancement SAs improve a certain trait or skillset compared to others of your rank. If you have two tai primary characters and one of them has a speed SA, the one with the speed SA is generally going to be faster. But context is everything, and you need to take into account secondary specs, other SAs, techniques that have been used, what a character’s fighting style is, and any other number of factors that go into determining the answer to a question like "is character x faster than character y?” Food for thought for both of you as you continue the PvP round and inevitably have more of these kinds of conversations in the future. Onto the arbitration! Events thus far: Ataru grabs Uriko by the hair, tries to force her into the line of fire of her own projectiles, and tries to hold a kunai to her throat to force her to concede. In response, Uriko tries to grab at the wrist of the hand that Ataru is holding the kunai in to keep it away from her throat, and reaches behind her to grab the front of his shirt to pull him forward and over her back. Ataru tries to hold himself at a distance to stay out of Uriko’s arm reach, bops the wrist of the hand that she’s grabbing at his kunai-holding-hand with, and tries again to hold the kunai up to her throat to force her to concede. The ruling: Ataru is fast enough that he can bop Uriko’s wrist with the pommel of his kunai before she can grab his hand, but he’s also small enough in comparison to Uriko (almost a full foot shorter and half her weight) that he would not be able to create enough distance to avoid her grabbing his shirt without also needing to let go of his grip on her hair. He’s eight years old and four foot four—he just doesn’t have the reach to manage it. He’s light enough that Uriko pulling him forward and over her back would be easy for her to do. Volker made the argument that Uriko’s reach is lessened due to needing to reach behind her back, but Ataru is still a young child in a contest of reach with an adult woman, so while Uriko’s reach may be lessened it is not eliminated to the point that she would not be able to grab him while he’s still trying to maintain a hold on her hair. Since her hands are occupied, Uriko would no longer have control over the Rotating Shuriken technique (which I don’t believe was the intent regardless, as there’s no mention of it in the post at all), but that just means that Uriko can’t direct the projectiles anymore—there’s still momentum, they don’t just stop dead and clatter to the ground when the technique is released. Ergo, they’re still en route, and will be arriving at the nexus of Uriko & Ataru tussling this rotation. Options: Ataru can sacrifice his hold on Uriko’s hair in order to be able to completely evade her grabbing at his shirt and pulling him forward. In this circumstance Uriko would be able to follow through with her stated action of ducking under the oncoming projectiles to evade them, leaving them still flying at Ataru, but giving him the opportunity to dodge them before they lose momentum completely and clatter to the ground. OR: Ataru can maintain his hold on Uriko’s hair and attempt to grapple with her as she pulls him forward, which would keep his control over her head and keep him in close combat with her, but the momentum of being pulled forward would send him straight into the oncoming projectiles, and he would be struck by the shuriken and the poisoned senbon, but in exchange would still be in close combat with Uriko and have some measure of control over her head and upper body movements. In either circumstance Ataru has not actually accomplished the goal of setting his kunai to Uriko’s throat, but if he does eventually succeed or it’s made clear that this is what he’s trying to do, I want you both to be aware that this would be enough reason for a proctor to intervene and call the match—observers aren’t mind readers, and no one watching Ataru try bring a kunai up to Uriko’s throat is going to know that he isn’t actually intending to hurt or kill her. Volker should edit his post to reflect the ruling accordingly. Once edits have been made, Ronin can respond and the fight can continue as normal. Thank you for your continued business at TACTICIAN INC.! We hope to see you again soon! :Yay:

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kayahara Urikohime]

Although Uriko had not managed to lay her hands on Ataru and thus swing him into the path of the oncoming projectiles, she had succeeded in giving herself enough freedom to dodge the flying weapons, only coming away with a slightly smarting wrist. That was better than getting her own attack turned against her. But the fight was far from over, Uriko thought, as she quickly spun to face her opponent. Ataru was, as things stood, uninjured, and had been shown to be faster than she was. Physically, he still had the advantage, but Uriko hoped that she could think up a stratagem with which to turn the tides of the fight.

And then Ataru asked if she was willing to agree to a draw. Retaining her slightly crouched, ready position, Uriko raised an eyebrow. That Ataru was requesting a draw could mean he was getting to his wits' end, or running low on fumes, and was hoping to resolve this as profitably as he could, without suffering a loss. For her part, she had never been one to enjoy the fighting side of shinobi life, which was why she preferred to work as a medic. Of course, this meant that she had relatively less utility as a combat asset, but she had other skills to make up for that. In any case, as far as this battle went, agreeing to a tie could be profitable for her as well, as she was relatively unharmed and would be assured of facing her next battle with at least her physical integrity uncompromised.

"Well, there were no stipulations in the rules that preclude such a thing," she replied, though there was some wariness in her voice, "so if the proctor agrees to it, then we may end the fight here."

Uzumaki Ataru

[hirana kizumi]

The tussle ended with both genin separated and lightly bruised in wrist or ego; but Ataru offered a draw, Uriko accepted, and the fight was done. "It’s a draw!” the announcer shouted, "and a very amicable one at that! Such polite young people from Konohagakure!” The crowd was evenly mixed between cheering and booing—partial respect for calling the match at a draw after a bout that seemed evenly matched, partial disappointment that the action had now been drawn out longer. Neither of the genin were particularly beat up and had no major injuries that needed tending to, so they were allowed to return to the spectator stand to watch the remainder of the fights until the team matches began. [+1 GOOD-NATURED KONOHAGAKURIAN AMIABILITY]

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