[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

Toru did not really *see* Kobashi explode up into the air, because his own descent down into the water was a bit high speed and chaotic. The cannon ball worked, but he didn't know it. He almost hit the bottom of the lake before the viscosity of the liquid finally stopped him and his momentum though the water all around bubbled and boiled. While Kobashi ended up on the shoreline, he started to swim back, bursting up on the surface... The mist all but gone at this point, Toru was looking around in all of the chaos.

You didn't kill him did you?

I... I don't know where he is. But I hope not.

That was quite a crash Toru-chan.

I wasn't expecting it myself.

In time all of the arcs of water and everything settled, the disturbed lake returning to a semi-relaxed state though still there were waves that would not settle immediately. Their battle would have to fully conclude for something like that to be afforded to the poor, abused body of water.

The young Mizukage took a deep breathe, finding Kobashi with it.

There he was, and he seemed to be awaiting his next move. Toru rolled his shoulders a little bit, and did something a bit unexpected. He did not run at Kobashi, no he stayed rooted in his watery spot, his one tailed shroud flickering around. After a few moments of explosive battle it seemed Toru had decided it was time for a little less of a violent approach. Well, it was still violent at least in terms of being offensive, but it was less explosive.

So, he used the one tail he had and controlled it to fly directly towards Kobashi, at some point turning into a hand to grab at the Sourei trying to wrap hot boiling chakra fingers around his body to fling him in the totally opposite direction of where he was on shore.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Damn it!

Kobashi was not usually one to even think expletives, but such were the only words that immediately came to mind. He had been hoping Toru would press the attack, but it seemed the Mizukage had realize just how much his defense could aid in allowing him to outlast Kobashi in this fight. While he likely could have still reached him with the bisection technique, it simply was not worth the exchange of potentially getting grabbed by the molten arms approaching him.

Deciding to make use of Toru's stationary position, Kobashi decided he needed to push a counter attack and so gathered chakra throughout himself as he made use of the *Body Flicker technique, aiming to put himself just behind where the arms were extending that exact moment. Immediately using *Accelerate in conjunction with *Rabbit Walk in an attempt to duck and weave around the shroud arm and close the distance with Toru.

As soon as he neared enough, Kobashi pushed his lips together and emitted a low whistle, quickly going to a high note in an attempt to trigger the *Painful Ringing technique. If he could not physically harm Toru easily, perhaps he could at least reduce his ability to attack through genjutsu.

Still, Kobashi would not be able to keep this pace of chakra expenditure up too much longer. The repeated uses of his bloodline, albeit short were still relatively taxing and while the myriad of techniques were not too draining by themselves, when used in rapid succession as he had been; it definitely was starting to add up a bit.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

Toru had pretty good reflexes - some of the best he would gamble - but he was not exactly capable of foreseeing a body flicker the way that it was utilized in this moment, especially from the distance. Plus the arm he had sent out, slightly obscured his line of sight. So really, he was only able to tell that Kobashi had moved in on him through scent alone.

His jaw tightened, trying to weave the arm back onto Kobashi, but clearly it was not working as quickly or as well as he wanted because he was able to avoid it.

Things got a little more interesting when the whistle came. Toru expected a genjutsu, because he too cast genjutsu through whistle on occasion. But it was different. A horrible ringing noise struck his ears and the Mizukage's features grimaced, the bridge of his nose scrunching, both hands grasping at his ears trying to make the tinnitus stop.

His clawed fingers were digging into his flesh, not to make himself bleed - he couldn't even make himself do that - but to denote the pain he was in. Toru was doing his best not to hit his knees, trying to breathe through it all.

Instead of letting the sound take over, he decided to feed Kobashi a bit of his own medicine, formulating his own whistle - even though he could not really hear himself doing it, he knew he was and he laced it with chakra.

It was so intense, so real, at some point he wasn't sure if it was even genjutsu.

OWL

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kousou [Fighting Confused]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: To Use: Very Low | To Maintain: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Genjutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
TRIGGER: Auditory
DESCRIPTION:
After a shrill whistle, the user will cast a Genjutsu over their opponent. After they hear the whistle, it will seem as if the world around them begins to spin. Everything turning upside down, making them almost unable to move without falling over. Leaving the opponent extremely disorientated.

[Sourei Kobashi]

With his genjutsu seeming to have taken affect, Kobashi was charging towards his opponent with all the speed he could muster prepared to give nearly as powerful an attack as he could manage, until he suddenly was not anymore. Rather than running, he was now falling; tumbling along the water as if someone had knocked his feet out from under him and put him inside a hamster wheel to roll around.

Did one of the arms clip me? No, it'd have burned. The whistle I heard?

His mind quickly went through the possibilities and arrived at the conclusion that Toru had fought fire with fire or rather, genjutsu with genjutsu. He could try to break it, but that'd only give Toru time to have the arms grab hold of him. So Kobashi unable to do much else in the situation decided to once again try and create distance to hopefully give himself a moment to reset.

Unsure of how close he had managed to actually get, the only solace he could take was that at least the arms would get caught in the blast as Kobashi shifted into the enduring state and detonated the entirety of the remaining roll Shibuki currently had. This meant the blast was roughly to be three times larger than the one which had launched Toru into the air earlier.

In a mixed blessing and curse however, this also meant Kobashi was violently launched back towards the shoreline and between the spinning vision created by the genjutsu and the actual world spinning as he was flying end over end from the blast, he honestly began feeling as if he would have puked if his body had been capable of such while in the enduring state. Kobashi saw little of his aerial voyage, but could hear the crashing of water, ground and trees as he was launched violently back into the shoreline.

When he finally came to a rest, Kobashi shakily tried his best to stand, stumbling over several times while trying to do so before finally letting go of the Shibuki for a moment to render the handseal for *Genjutsu Kai, breaking the illusion he was under while simultaneously emptying his stomach of that morning's breakfast due to the lingering nausea. Wiping the spittle from the corner of his mouth, the Second Seat of the seven swordsmen released one of the seals on the Shibuki's main rolling mechanism to cause a fresh roll to appear on the weapon. It seemed obvious the fight would be coming to an end soon regardless of how much damage he might have caused with the explosion. All Kobashi could probably hope for at this point was a potential couple more blows exchanged or getting beat down by the Jinchuuriki's shroud arms.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

Toru was still holding onto his ears, grimacing at the internal pain that he was experiencing

But came next was more pain and it most certainly knocked him out of the internal pain that was ringing through his ears. He, at first, tried to endure, tried to stick his entire being down into the water, but the blast was too much. Toru, just as much as Kobashi was launched backwards in spite of his attempt to remain planted. The concussive force of the roll of tags was simply too much even for the jinchuuriki to naturally hold onto. After all, he wasn't infinitely sticky, just pretentiously durable.

It was a rattling experience, though unlike Kobashi - who had been stumbling and put into a statue-esque state - Toru was able to maintain some dignity when he was thrown back. The explosion displaced a lot of water, and he was half flying through the air, and half blasting through water, which also hurt. There was no shoreline in sight on the other side, but Toru was certainly flying towards it.

He didn't know how long he flew, he just knew that there were the slightest scrapes along his cheeks and his clothing had taken some damage too. In the end, he landed like a skipping stone across the water, displacing more water until he came to a painful stop and started to sink into the water slowly, face down.

Not unconscious but mentally and physically displaced the Mizukage continued to lay there, having the slightest feeling that Kobashi was not in any state to be getting up immediately either, his frame fully submerging under water even with the shroud. He could breathe with the shroud activated, so it was not a huge issue. He knew, that he needed a major reset.

Rattled and ready to take a break, he would climb back up to the surface, gently sitting on his knees, palms pressing into his thighs as he tried to catch his breath. Kobashi was a mere speck somewhere on shore. Toru stood, his muscles aching, his legs especially now that they were holding up the rest of his body. The shroud helped him recover somewhat, but only just. That was quite an explosion, he doubted he had ever seen anything like it before...

There were a few fish floating up dead from their fight which was not the best sign. But hopefully the majority survived for the sake of the local ecosystem.

The young man started to move in time, one step after another. But he wasn't fast, nor trying to be fast, he was just closing the distance.

"Truce?" He called out, louder than normal to try and reach Kobashi. Unsure of whether they should continue or not, but from Kobashi's state, he wasn't sure if they should.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Kobashi had readied himself as best he could and was staring out towards the deep water, the Shibuki held firmly in his hands and angled to keep the freshly replaced scroll from obscuring his vision. Slowly, a small dot of movement gradually began to grow until Kobashi could finally recognize it as Toru. The dot that was Toru finally called out towards Kobashi, offering a truce.

With a large exhale, Kobashi lowered the Shibuki, but did not fully place it on the ground. After a moment he raised his voice uncharacteristically high to shout out a brief "Truce!" in response. With their truce apparently agreed on, Kobashi began moving, still somewhat unsteady towards one of the many trees that now laid on the ground which he had smashed through after being launched and promptly took a seat upon one of them. The Second Seat moved the Shibuki so the end of the guide bar-blade rested on his left foot before leaning the weapon against his body where he sat.

Kobashi while thankful for the reprieve, also felt a certain level of frustration. He had been unable to really do any major damage to Toru and while he did not wish to truly hurt the Mizukage, the fact he had not been able to left him second guessing his capabilities as a shinobi.

A smaller, dark part of his mind also was suddenly aware that if Toru ever did find out about the Daimyo's grandson who currently lived with him that no matter how hard he fought he would not be able to fend off Toru. Granted. . . he also did know that at the end of the day he could possibly kill the Mizukage if he was willing to sacrifice his own life in exchange. When such a thought crossed his mind though, Kobashi quickly tried to push it down and ignore it. It was something he would rather not think of until he needed to cross such a bridge.


"Apologies I could not put up greater resistance."


The words would eventually be said whenever Toru got within distance, assuming that he did eventually approach. They were said with an attempt at Kobashi's usual soft tone and respectful demeanor, although his bruised body and the sudden amount of chakra he had exerted in the fight did give a slight edge of strain to his words.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

Once Kobashi called a truce in return Toru felt it was safe to approach. Not that he felt it was unsafe before, he did not think that Kobashi would do anything but it was best to verify that they were both no longer on the offensive to actually approach and speak. In earshot, Kobashi started up a conversation, though it was more an apology than a true conversation.

"Your resistance was more than adequate."

Kobashi had vomited - that much Toru could tell by the smell in the area - but it was not as if he was much worse for wear physically than he had been than when they had started. Though, Toru was wondering when the last time this man had this kind of training. It seemed long enough that his physical form was weary.

"Perhaps we can make this a more regular occasion." He suggested a little off the cuff, moving to sit right next to the older man on the tree that had been halved from their fighting. There would need to be some regrowing efforts it seemed. But Mizu no Kuni was hardly an industrialized metropolis, Toru was more prone to letting nature take its course even in its carnage.

"We would both benefit."

Perhaps not, but everyone could improve their abilities slowly over time with regular practice. Toru did his best to keep training even though he was stuck at his desk for long periods at a time. Missions and training was what kept him sharp, and he had to be sharp to be a shinobi leader. What was a military head if they were the weakest link? He could not be.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

As usual, Kobashi's mild paranoia began to take his mind down a rabbit-hole of speculation when Toru suggested making their fights a more regular occurrence. It took only a few moments though for Kobashi to rein his speculation in and refocus himself to the conversation at hand though.


"I do not think it would be a terrible arrangement."


Kobashi stared out towards the water for a few moments, his mind briefly skimming through the fight that they had just concluded; the swordsman considering both his and Toru's actions during it and how he might have done better in any given exchange. Turning his face a little more towards Toru sitting beside him, but with his eyes still very much on the lake before them, he spoke once more in his usual soft and overly polite manner:


"I fear I could not defeat you were this a real fight. One thing I have realized though is I need to improve the speed at which I can switch between methods of attack."


Perhaps it was pointless of him to say his take away from their fight, but in Kobashi's mind it seemed reasonable to get seek either confirmation or disagreement with the lesson he took from their fight. In his eyes there had been a few situations where if he had more easily been able to make use of ninjutsu, he might have been able to make some sort of additional headway in their fight, such as when he first phased through Toru's body and assaulted with the multiplying thrust. Had he at that time been able to more quickly use something like the lightning bolt technique, then he might have been able to better pressure Toru when he had allowed himself to be knocked away.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

Toru nodded to Kobashi, unaware of all his paranoid machinations. It did not occur to the young Mizukage that someone on his war council could be this paranoid about anything he had to say or suggest. Toru was in most instances rather pure and straightforward in his intentions, rarely with his people were there ulterior motives. He said things as they were, did not mince words, he did not feel he needed to. In his mind, if he was honest, they would act earnestly, and in accordance to what they believed to show him who they were.

The youth kept his gaze fixated on the water, it did not seem like there was much battle left at all, except that the plumes of smoke from the explosion were slowly rising into the air, disappearing and clearing the area of all smog and mist. It would rain from all of their activities, but land could always use a little rain to feed the soil. It was healthy, a natural part of life.

"I see." The young man acknowledged, scrutinizing what Kobashi had said for himself - mostly so that he could determine a way to help him appropriately.

"Perhaps it would benefit to be able to pull off techniques in a pinch. Have you worked on your hand seals? The speed, or perhaps switching to one hand?" It was not uncommon to see swordsmen be able to do things one handed - Toru was among them - perhaps Kobashi too could benefit from such a tactic.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Kobashi listened to Toru's suggestion, giving a nod of affirmation towards the younger man's words. It seemed that Toru and Kobashi were actually quite similar in some ways. At the very least they were alike in their tendency to offer genuine advice when speaking to others, regardless of the issue. As far as his actual words, it was something he had likely considered in the past, but for whatever reason had fallen by the wayside.


"I likely should have trained to do such earlier, but I believe I became too preoccupied with bettering my actual swordsmanship. Although looking at it logically, it would only improve my swordplay overall if I learned to perform single seals."


A contemplative look formed on Kobashi's face, his mind considering the possible applications of such training with his typical fighting style. It would not be especially useful while trying to wield the Shibuki as most attacks with it required him to go into his enduring state or at least to make use of both hands to swing the blade with satisfactory speed and precision; such training would definitely be a great boon in instances where he was using the far lighter and balanced ninjato that he typically started off fights with. Besides, there was also the possibility of using it with the Shibuki should he rest the awkward blade on his shoulder or the like.


"Did you manage to gain any insight from this fight?"


The question was said mostly out of Kobashi's own curiosity, but to an extent it was also an important one. After all, if he was the only one to get any benefit out of this training then it would be best for them to find some way to change the training to give the young Mizukage more benefit or something to work towards. And while a part of Kobashi already found Toru to be a daunting opponent, another part of him did desire for the young Mizukage to have a long reign as he seemed far easier to deal with than some of his predecessors.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

"Then it is something we can work on moving forward." He would have to set a schedule on when they would meet later, but for now the verbal confirmation was enough. Swordsmen were usually quite by the books, and followed codes. He believed Kobashi would stay true to his commitment of making this training a more regular thing and that he would actually show up for it.

The steam and smoke continued to rise, revealing more of the crystal clear surface of the crescent lake. It was such an interesting shape, Toru wondered how it had ever come to be like that. Perhaps one day they would have the technology to know, perhaps one day they would find out that a shinobi had carved it into the earth with a powerful technique and rain had filled the rest.

"I did." It was a simple response, that he remained silent after for a beat or two in contemplation on how to elaborate. He did not know how to explain what the process was like for him. It was not like anything he had ever had in the past, before he had become the host. It was a relationship beyond the self, improvements beyond just who he was.

"I have come a step closer to internal agreement, peace." It probably didn't make sense, but some shinobi liked to be in a meditative state when in combat. It was the closest thing he could compare it to. Meditation. Of course, he was a good partner and companion with Isobu at this point, but their power was molding and fusing into one more and more. Isobu nowadays was granting him access to more chakra, more powerful chakra than in the past.

He was still, rarely in a situation where he needed to use such a power but it was interesting to know that he had access to nonetheless.

"Would you like to start heading towards the village? Or perhaps take a nap here? The shore is a nice place..."

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Kobashi despite his lack of prejudices that Toru typically faced, was admittedly a bit surprised by the very philosophical answer to his question of if he had gained anything from their training. While Toru had always seemed well spoken for his age, this seemed a bit beyond that. Whether it was just a happenstance due to his upbringing or the sign of an individual with vastly more insight than he had initially assumed was not clear.

What might have caught Kobashi even more off guard however was the Mizukage's suggestion of taking a nap by the lake. Kobashi was unsure whether such had been meant as a joke or a serious suggestion. Regardless, Kobashi found it difficult to sleep in general, let alone in such open and unprotected areas. Still, if the Mizukage wished to take a rest, he was not one to deprive him of the opportunity either. He understood the workload upon the young man's shoulders, at least to some degree from his own positions of leadership through the years as well as seeing the strain it placed on the old Daimyo so many years ago. Additionally, while he could not be certain, he expected that taking on the shrouded form Toru had fought in towards the end of their fight had the potential to be tiring as well.


"If you wish to rest, I will stand guard Mizukage-Dono."


The words were polite, softly spoken and said in a somewhat matter of fact manner. While even Kobashi would admit that the days training had allowed him to understand and even respect Toru more than he had before; they were ultimately still superior and subordinate.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

Toru waited for a response, he was quiet, and still. His breathing had almost totally stilled. He was naturally silent, but in these moments when he stilled more he was almost one with his environment. It was a talent that he had cultivated, though it was among the many talents that he had worked hard to cultivate. Toru had been called a genius by some, but the reality was that he was not at all. He had worked hard for every single thing he had ever had. His so called talents were nurtured, most certainly, and he had not come upon them easily and naturally. Not with his life starting in the poverty that it had.

It was a huge difference from birth to nothing, and ascension to where he was now.

"No. I meant we both rest." His bodyguards were here somewhere anyway, he hardly needed another individual watching over him while he relaxed on the shore.

"But if you do not wish for it, then let us head back." That seemed the easiest way resolution to their situation. Kobashi did not wish to simply relax on the shore, so the best thing to do was to head back. So he pushed into his aching thighs and stood up with a soft sigh as he looked towards the other side of the lake where they had started... Not that he could see the other end. But the village was somewhere over there, truly hidden by the mist.

"Unless you need me to carry you?" It was a joke, but it was delivered quite dryly, Toru was still working on his humor and tonality. Emotions and feelings were a difficulty for him, at least in terms of expression.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Toru made an attempt to correct a perceived misunderstanding and Kobashi nodded. At the very least it did clarify that it was not a joke, but ultimately even if he had been fully certain of the young man's seriousness with the suggestion; apart from his dislike at the prospect of sleeping out in the open the idea of sleeping in front of his ultimate superior also seemed distasteful to Kobashi.

As soon as Toru stood, Kobashi stood as well and began to mold his chakra. Slowly the chakra was funneled into the large buckle going across his chest with the Shibuki being placed up against it. Within a blink, the oversized sword was sealed away within the etching on the buckle through use of the *Generic Sealing technique.

With the Shibuki now stored in its proper place, Kobashi took a slow few steps forward. He could feel the tightness in several muscles within his body, but overall the short rest had at least helped settle the nausea he had felt earlier after experiencing the genjutsu and tumultuous tumble. The soreness from having ended his enduring state while still mid roll had also become more of a dull throbbing here and there. It was right around then that Toru voiced the question as to whether Kobashi needed to be carried. A few moments of silence filled the air, before finally Kobashi replied.


"That will not be necessary."


Kobashi considered for a moment whether it would be best to walk the edge of the large lake or to cross it through use of the water walking technique. After a moment of hesitation, Kobashi took several steps towards the water and eventually began to walk upon its surface.


"Since we ended our fight early, we might as well exercise our control. It will be quicker as well."


As usual, his tone was on the softer side, although the inflection was such as to confer that he was making a suggestion rather than a demand of the Mizukage.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi

It did not hit, Toru sighed in his head at his inability to get the tonality of jokes across correctly. It seemed that most simply did not understand. Especially those that were not closer to him. Daichi understood, at least the majority of the time when Toru joked. That was often a nice reprieve from his constant struggle at being 'relatable' as he was supposed to be. Of course, he was relatable in that he was an orphan who had become a leader. This made him trustworthy, he had not been one of the elite to start but had learned it. As a result, those at the bottom trusted him, and those at the top trusted him too because he had learned from the elite to begin one among them, a chameleon.

He started to wander out onto the water at first just slightly behind Kobashi but soon side by side, though definitely not shoulder to shoulder. Toru was still growing, and it was hard to tell if he would ever be very tall, but he was only fifteen he had time to grow. Or at least that is what he presumed, he believed that he would grow taller and the future would unfold in due time.

"Quicker, yes." He agreed and off they went back towards the village, Toru not breaking the silent.

OWL