[Hatake Toshizō]

"the stench of nobility". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." BLADES AND WIND The surprise beheading approach worked out perfectly and the man's head rolled on the ground, finally alerting his companion of the enemy's presence. The man drew a tanto and charged against the elder Hatake, who welcomed the clash of their blades, as this was where he was at his main game. The blades clashed and sparkles came out from it, the man aiming to slash Toshizou's hand, but he was intercepted by the shinogi of his blade in a half-moon upwards motion to deflect it to the side. The momentum made the man lose a bit of his balance. "Suriage kesagiri." his mind picture the movement and his body graciously followed, coming down at the man's shoulder and splitting his body in two, all the way to the waist. Cutting the robes that drape over the shoulder, as this type of cut was known as. With the two foes eliminated, he turned to look at Suzume's direction, narrowing his eyes as he witnessed the girl in battle. She was quite skilled with the blade, and was more physically capable than he had anticipated. But with a more direct approach, the enemies also had time to prepare and react to her attack: one of them deflected her first attack, while the other tried to use this opportunity to throw a kunai at the girl. The moment he noticed the enemy going for his pouch, he quickly waived four hand seals. "Fuuton, Atsugai!" from his mouth, a compressed tornado-like mass as expelled with incredible speed. The range was vast and due to its wind nature, it pushed the kunai back before the full pressure of the wind hit the man. The kunai was sent flying away, and so was the man, and the tree he was on top of due to the massive damage caused by the attack. He was not dead due to the distant, but his injuries were serious. Once the attack was launched, Toshizou would start sprinting towards Suzume, just in case she needed his assistance with the other one, but he didn't think she would. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission After behading the 1st, deflects attack from the 2nd and counters with a suriage kesagiri. Then uses Wind Release: Pressure Damage to intercept the 3rd's attack and hit him. [Hatake Suzume] [380 words]

Technique used:

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Fūton: Atsugai [Wind Release: Pressure Damage]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Fūton
HANDSEALS: 4
DESCRIPTION:
A powerful wind technique which is released by the users mouth after hand-signs. A tornado-like mass is compressed until it has a very high density and is then released. The wind pressure is raised to its highest limit, and once the technique hits the target, the resulting blast sweeps everyone off their feet.

If the technique is used by someone who has mastered wind nature transformation, the blast can hit a vast range, inflicting massive damage on both the target and their surroundings.

[Hatake Suzume]

As soon as Suzume turned around, her attention was split between the opponent that already had a kunai drawn, the one she clashed with, and the other who was beginning to reach for his pouch. Already her muscles began to twitch with instinct, planning to knock whatever projectile he threw her way into his ally. It was a plan that changed immediately as a blast of wind knocked the further opponent into a tree, immediately incapacitating him.

Instantly, a lot of the pounding anxiety in Suzume's head faded, though she kept her senses sharp. There was only a brief moment of hesitation before the two engaged each other yet again. This time it wasn't a passing meeting of blades, but a flurry of rapid-fire slashes and parries and ripostes. The enemy's kunai glinted occasionally in the moonlight as they exchanged blows, but Suzume's tanto remained dark, the matte finish in the darkness making it harder to see. This exchange lasted no more than a few seconds, each combatant feeling out the capabilities of the other before Suzume felt confident enough to seize an opportunity to land a killing blow.

Raiton chakra crackled through her blade after she pushed away from one final bind, darting back a meter or so before slashing at open air. Except, this slash produced a blade of electricity that soared out striking the surprised man across his chest. Before he could register what had happened, Suzume closed the distance once more, thrusting her tanto into the man's heart and withdrawing it swiftly. By the time Toshizou arrived the intruder's corpse hit the floor. Without any sensory abilities herself, Suzume turned to face the other Hatake with her guard up, relaxing somewhat when she recognized her clanmate's face.

Hatake Toshizō

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Raiton: Zangeki [Lightning Release: Slash]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low - Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: Raiton
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
Requires a bladed weapon that can conduct nature chakra. Once Lightning chakra has been molded into the blade, the user can make a 'slash' through the air with their weapon, creating and releasing a speeding, sharp arc, or 'blade' of electrical energy towards the user's target. This works by using the coating of chakra already on the blade to form a projectile blade of energy. The range depends on how much chakra is used, and as it travels it looses energy.

At Short Range (0-5 meters) it has the power to create a deep torso wound or dismember a focused limb. At Medium Range (6-15 meters) the attack could cause a decent sized and painful gash, but not severe limbs.

At Long Range (16-30 meters) the attack can cut through clothing, thinner armor, and the human skin, resulting in a superficial shallow cut. An electrical shock effect is given at any range, from a powerful shock at close range, too an annoying stinging and lingering burning feeling at long range. Due to being used with another jutsu, and a weapon, there is no need for a handseal to use--the chakra already molded throughout the weapon.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"the stench of nobility". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." SPEAK Like he had expected, Suzume could handle herself in a fight and displayed a beautiful flurry of blows he paused to admire for a brief moment. Being a swordmaster, he was always fond of watching different people using their own koryu to fight, and Suzume had that Hatake blood in her veins and the familiarity with the blade. "Perhaps I judged her too harshly at first." he thought to himself, feeling a bit of joy he was wrong in that way. With an excellent execution of a lightning strike and a deadly thrust to the heart, she claimed the life of her enemy, and once he finally caught up with her, she turned around, showing alertness and readiness to fight. Toshizou gave her a firm, approving nod. "Excellent swordplay, Suzume." he said, quickly resting one of his hands on her shoulder, and then pointing towards the place where the other enemy was laying down, injured and barely able to move. "Let's see what he has to say." he said and then walked towards the man. The man was crawling, trying to get up, but when Toshizou arrived, he pierced his knee with his blade, making the man scream in pain. "This can all go away soon, as long as you talk. Who sent you? And why?" he inquired. The man was feeling a lot of pain, but he was still a shinobi and he had his pride, so instead, he tried to turn around and throw a kunai at Toshizou's face, but before he could fully move his arm, the Hatake slashed the tendons of his wrist. "I have all the time in the world, and I know where your vital spots are... I can make you suffer for a very long time, or end this quickly. Once you are out of this world, the woes of it are no longer your problem. Speak." and it now seemed like the man was beginning to feel convinced to cooperate. He still looked at Suzume, almost as if he was begging her to just end him. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Asking the enemy for information [Hatake Suzume] [351 words]

[Hatake Suzume]

Suzume kept her tanto at the ready even as Toshizou complimented her, jumping just a bit as he rested a hand on her shoulder but relaxing immediately. She clearly wasn't used to receiving compliments, but she dipped her head briefly in gratitude.

"Oh um, thank you Toshizou-san."

She nodded when he suggested that they extract some information from their remaining attacker. She watched with muted indifference as her elder clanmate stabbed the prone enemy, keeping her senses attuned to their surroundings instead. The younger Hatake trusted in Toshizou's sensory capabilities, but there wasn't really anything for her to do in an interrogation.

The sudden movement from the man did startle her a bit, but Toshizou handled it effortlessly, driving home the hopelessness of the situation even further. Suzume caught the look that their enemy gave her, but she simply shrugged and kept watch. Toshizou hadn't given her any sort of instruction on how to proceed with the interrogation, so she remained silent and waited to see what else her clan leader would do. Admittedly, she felt a bit of pity for the man, but she also knew that in this world there were only two types of people: allies of Konoha and enemies of Konoha.

Hatake Toshizō

[Hatake Toshizō]

"stench of nobility". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." NO MORE THREATS Eventually, the man would start revealing information, unable to cope with the world of pain he was being subjected to. Seemed like the attack was the work of a rival clan, looking to thaw the Mitsubachi's plan of marrying Ichimi to a wealthier family. "Disguting politics doing our country no good. These nobles..." he thought to himself, but on the exterior, his expression remained stern and cold. Ultimately, when the man had nothing else to share, Toshizou would separate his body and head with a quick and swift movement with his sword, followed by a chiburi (quick wrist movement to remove some of the blood from the sword), and then sheathing it. From what he gathered - and Suzume was there to listen - there shouldn't be any other hired blades coming their way, but Toshizou still kept his Mind's Eye open to scan the area. And indeed, the man spoke the truth, they were not in any further danger. "Tomorrow we resume our trip. If we keep a good pace, we should arrive at our destination mid-afternoon. I don't sense any other threats nearby, but stay sharp, Suzume." he said, as he walked back to the campsite. With the aid of the Ninken, the two of them would be able to get some rest before resuming their trip the next day. Their mission was nearly over, as they only had to deliver Ichimi at the location and nothing else. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Interrogation concluded. [Hatake Suzume] [243 words]

[Hatake Toshizō]

"the stench of nobility". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." MISSION COMPLETED With most of the dangers being taken care of, the group were able to rest through the night, with the Ninken keeping themselves awake and aware. Came the next morning, Toshizou let them go for their due rest while he and his kin continued to gide Ichime to their destined location. The remainder of the trip was uneventful and once the noble was delivered to her place, they bid each other farewell. It wasn't the trip she expected, but ultimately there was a small sense of gratitude in the noble woman after she was saved from an assassination attempt. The two members of the Hatake clan would then return to the Hidden Leaf Village, with Toshizou dismissing Suzume with words of a good job done, as he would take care of the bureaucratic paperwork of the mission report, as it was his duty as the captain of that mission. He was satisfied with the girl's behaviour and actions during the mission, which gave him more hope regarding his clan. It needed guidance, yes, and just like their chakra blades, it needed heat and hammering to be properly polished, but they proved to be made of good enough material. One more mission completed for the Leaf. That was all that truly mattered. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission [COMPLETED] End post [N/A] [217 words]