[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Mayonaka Homare Shouki Shizuka Kaguya Gomi

There were two genin teams dispatched North towards the Red Keep. They had no supervision either, because everyone who could easily supervise them was already up North waiting for orders on how to proceed towards the large keep that the village was intending to take for itself. Soon it would be an important spot as a shinobi base and for civilians. But first, the shinobi had to take it over which was easier said than done as the reports from the missions prior had made a crystal clear picture...

The Red Keep was absolutely crawling with vermin - and now it was up to the genin teams to deliver scrolls with orders written in them. They were not to read the scrolls - that was not part of their orders, instead they were to traverse from Kirigakure no Sato all the way to the Red Keep in the north as quickly as possible.

There were some dangers on the way, of course, but if they traveled efficiently they may not run into anything.

The second team was a team of three, originally all on one team, though perhaps not with the greatest amount of previous experience working as a team, how would the girls group-up and decide who was leading and how the team should move forward? After all they had not a moment to lose.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rotation 0/5
Make entrance post.

OWL

[Kaguya Gomi]

CONTROL HARNESSED: RED KEEP SAGA Gomi was just thrilled with this developement as it had gone. She was going to become immortal today, yes. She would not get hurt, yes. It was a simple matter, in her armor she would be the impenetrable and untouchable wall that lead from the front, even though she was absolutely not qualified to socialize with these two, and further more the slowest of the group by a massive margin. That didn't stop her from thinking she would cause them to encounter the least stuff that the trio could handle. The issue then became that she simply was frozen in place with her jaw shut as they coalesced together to head out. The tall kaguya girl quaked in place with the cacophonous sound of a symble being tapped upon softly, and it only magnified as they would begin moving. What did the other two have to say on the matter? What was their end goal? Or their plan really? She was frankly more worried about being stabbed in the back by either one of them then she was afraid of the travel ahead. Homare had already expressed distrusting behavior patterns from the invitation to try and bully the bone-clad kunoichi, and Gomi frankly was not about to take it laying down - not that she had a choice otherwise at the moment. Having been handed the scroll originally to carry Gomi had found nothing but discomfort in the task, as they moved Gomi would offer it over to Shizuka, seeing as the Shouki girl had not yet crossed her. A deep stare accenting the motion, like she was waiting for Shizuka to lash at her. A trained response from the damned. Gomi really wanted to go back to safety.

[Mayonaka Homare]

Homare had met with both Shizuka and Gomi before, although her interaction with Gomi had been significantly more strained due to a misunderstanding between the two on their first meeting. Still, she was far less awkward with the two of them now that she had a little better understanding of herself and the others in her own team, so she was a little better about talking out a plan of action for their orders to take the scroll up to their waiting second string; the big problem was likely going to be Gomi's lack of speed in her incredibly heavy armor, so it's quite possible that they might end up being some of the last to show up, to the point that she's actually worried that they won't get to the second string soon enough and might even fail the mission. Even with that worry driving her to want to push Gomi into moving sooner, she knew from their brief interaction that Gomi had a fearfully high level of distrust in any action that might seem aggressive; the best way to motivate her was, in fact, through fear, but that fear had to be in the right direction. Maybe if she impressed that fear upon Gomi to get her moving forward for fear of failing the mission...

She looked between the other two girls, worried about the two of them interacting, since she wasn't aware that both Shizuka and Gomi had met up together already once before. The older genin is already popping her knuckles and her fingers back and forth; the sound is actually fairly cacophonous, but there's no way it can be heard over the sound of the blonde woman clanging about in her armored shell. Homare catches sight of Gomi trying to hand off the scroll for Shizuka, and that gives the Mayonaka an idea, though she's not certain it will actually work. If she's going to instill in Gomi the fear of failure in order to motivate her into heroic action, now is the time to actually take a deep breath and put her foot down. Gomi might be loud and completely lacking in both stealth and speed, but she might at least be convinced to double-time. It was the most she could hope for with this plan...

"Miss Gomi. I think the scroll is best left in your very capable hands; with your full defensive set, you're the best suited member of our team to hold onto something so crucial. And I trust you enough to not try and read the orders on the scroll."

It was a lot for Homare to say; she'd gone from noncommittal grunts of responses when she'd first met Shizuka and Asuka for the very first time to now giving out orders, when she considered it absolutely necessary to do so. She hopes Shizuka doesn't take her statement about trust as a dig at her: she trusts that Shizuka is loyal and smart enough to know better than to look in the scroll as well, but she knows Gomi is the one that is desperately in need of motivating. Just in case, she gives their teammate a little wink, letting her know that this is at least somewhat planned. As it is, Homare is already busy with her upper pair of hands, tugging her blue hair back into a ponytail to keep it up and away from her back, so that it won't flow around all over her head and get in the way during the mission. She could tell already that this particular courier mission would likely be a real slog to get through...

[Shouki Shizuka]

Kaguya Gomi was everything Shizuka had been warned about and more. Armour and physique fit for a soldier was uncommon within the ranks of the shinobi, and Gomi's suit was even noisier than usual - as if it had been crafted specifically to raise as much attention to herself as possible. The tall kunoichi trembled wordlessly as she tried to hand the scroll to Shizuka. Shizuka only raised her eyebrows in confusion. Was this some sort of test? Homare's interjection only left Shizuka more confused. Why was she speaking to Gomi as if she needed encouragement? And winking?

Exasperated, Shizuka could not contain a pained sigh. Since her elder teammates had not offered their suggestions for traveling formation and rules of engagement, that duty fell to her.

"It doesn't matter who carries the scroll. All that matters is we complete the mission. The mission is our top priority. We must deliver the orders while preserving as much of our fighting power as possible. Our second priority is ourselves, and third is the team. This is our first mission together, and we have no idea of what we're all capable of. Prove yourself by fighting independently."

Shizuka paused for a moment to make sure her teammates were listening.

"Mayonaka-san and Kaguya-san, you'll lead the formation. I'll follow about a minute behind. If you encounter any patrols or ambushes you cannot avoid, signal me by whistling, and retreat along the same path you took. I'll prepare a trap to scatter the enemies so we can disengage and continue the mission. If for some reason you can't retreat, whistle twice and I'll reinforce you from stealth. Is that clear?"

Her suggestion was the best plan she was capable of, if stealth was not an option. It was flawed, but Shizuka hoped the worst results might be avoided this way.

"Mayonaka-san, please set the pace. Fast - pursuit speed, and disregard stealth. The longer we spend in the open, the greater the chance we'll be caught by a patrol. Don't worry about Kaguya-san's armor either, it's lighter than it looks, and she'll keep up." Shizuka's last words were pointed at Gomi, sharp as a threat. She smiled. "I'm Shouki Shizuka, by the way, apparently captain of team 3."

She'll keep up, or we'll leave her behind.

Satisfied, Shizuka left, and began heading toward their destination. If her teammates had any complaints, they could offer them on the move. If they didn't, then Shizuka would begin trailing them from a distance, about a minute behind.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Kaguya Gomi Mayonaka Homare Shouki Shizuka

Gomi is nervous but Homare shares that she feels the scroll is best left with her. Time would tell that much, though there was also a chance that the three would arrive to the front lines unimpeded... Except for Gomi's armor, which might very well attract attention from the Red Keep itself. That too could only be told with time, but it was for the genin to figure out as they drew closer.

It was Shizuka who provided the strongest plan however, communicating an idea that very well could set the team ahead if things went sour.

Regardless of how the team set off, they did so. Though, perhaps it would be a good idea to take Shizuka's word for it and simply arrange the team in that manner since there was no other plan currently and limited time in which they should deliver the scroll.

One way or another, Shizuka would find herself trailing behind the team by about a minute, while the other two - quite literally - clanged ahead.

It was no short bit of travel to the Red Keep from Kirigakure no Sato, they would depart to the North and there were quite a few mountains they would have to avoid first. Fortunately, there was a path thus far and absolutely no enemies.

Occasional birds fluttering by, and a fairly par for the course animal sounds. Oh and of course Gomi's armor clink-clanking. But no dangers, just a clear path ahead that they could easily use as a guide North.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rotation 1/5
Next Post Due: Wednesday, September 20th; 10:00 AM [CENTRAL STANDARD TIME]
Update: No enemies or opposition, the team can use a nearby road going North as a guide if they choose a less traveled path to move through.

OWL

[Kaguya Gomi]

control harnessed: red keep saga This was a travesty, mostly because these two together were definitely just as bad as her father had been. He was dead now, which made it obvious to her that these two were heading down the same road if no one corrected them. Gomi was not about to do that though, it was not her job to fix their fragile egos only their pride. She didn't want to be beaten before the group could finish this though by breaking her teammates over all and putting them back into their places. If they were to have pride, then they needed to understand... these bandits needed to understand first though. The futility. "This is pointless of them no? The inevitable is already encroaching on this fort no? Why would they try to hold it... aren't they afraid of getting hurt?" Gomi would mutter aloud. Homare would have a clear shot of what she was saying if she stayed close enough, though the girl did not really speak loudly to go above the rattling of her bone-made armor. Like a clatter of a skeleton from a clinic clattering because it fell apart, it was a dull thud sound, almost musical except not. Gomi would look around as they all moved, on alert, though unconcerned with staying on guard over the mission, she didn't want to be hurt. She had to make sure no one got close fast enough to hurt her.

[Mayonaka Homare]

Homare is a bit surprised by Shizuka taking charge almost right away, and although she bristles a little at her sudden change in demeanor as well as the fact that she's practically pushed out of the leadership role, she doesn't complain or even show any real reaction to Shizuka's orders. Any problems she has can be resolved after the completion of the mission, but for the moment, time was of the essence, and she could have a conversation with Shizuka any time afterwards. At the very least, she's given the order to set the pace, which is rather like being given a bit of control over the current situation. That said, she's not entirely confident that Gomi's armor absolutely won't slow her down, or if it doesn't, that the sound won't draw banditry attention that they can't really afford to have centered on them.

Homare is actually even more surprised by Gomi speaking up. She was often a fairly quiet woman, from what little she'd interacted with the blonde, but now she actually had something to say. Without slowing, the Mayonaka responds to her questions, but she tries to not be too terse or let her emotions about being denied as captain show themselves through her words. It was some effort to keep her tone even, but she thought that she managed it well enough to not seem like she was angry at Gomi directly. Granted, she was practically mumbling, and the genin had to strain to hear her. Even as she set a quick pace, she kept her responses short.

"Pain is also inevitable, Miss Gomi. Attempting to avoid all pain leads only to greater pains, and an inability to deal with it when it comes for you... But no, I think bandits tend not to care about getting hurt."

As they come upon a road, Homare stops suddenly, raising her upper right arm to signal for Shizuka to stop as well before making a motion downwards as she slips down a bit to very nearly lay on the ground, staring directly at the road. When there doesn't seem to be any movement or any signs of human activity after an entire half an hour of complete stillness, the Mayonaka stands again and gestures them to follow once more, but she avoids the road north, and instead travels alongside it, keeping a careful eye ahead and to her right where the road is about 5 meters away from her position in the group. Homare is sure that stopping so suddenly was likely going to make Shizuka unhappy, but she needed to be sure they would be able to travel unimpeded for now. That said, her pace is a little faster now in order to make up for the lost time of watching the road for bandits. As it was, traveling on the road itself would leave them far too exposed for any stealth at all, and wouldn't likely improve their speed much in any case, especially if the bandits have some form of ambush set up somewhere along the road.

[Shouki Shizuka]

When Shizuka noticed Homare and Gomi had stopped by the side of the path, she hid herself and scanned quickly for enemies. Finding none, she wondered why the team had stopped at all. She moved closer, quietly, taking note of her teammate's conditions - perhaps they had tired themselves out already? But no, neither Gomi nor Homare showed any signs of fatigue. When two minutes turned to five and Homare had failed to offer an explanation, Shizuka's patience wore thin.

"Break time's over. We need to keep moving."

That got Homare to reply - a terse explanation that she had to be sure there were no enemies. Shizuka thought that was stupid for many reasons - they were closer to the village than the Red Keep, they were on a time sensitive mission, any enemies would likely detect their team first - but she swallowed her annoyance, at least for the moment. When a second, polite request failed to move the stubborn Homare, she relented and waited.

But Shizuka was not content to simply idle uselessly. She produced a small brush from her supplies, and drew a vaguely accurate copy of the map they had been shown in the mission briefing earlier. Between them and the Red Keep stood a few mountains, and any ambushes or checkpoints would likely be placed in locations where avoiding them would cause significant delays. She went over the route with the team, emphasizing the need to move quickly. Ultimately, choosing the fastest path forward would be Homare's job. She was the best climber in the team, and if she felt they could traverse rougher terrain quickly enough to reach the mission destination, it was her duty to lead.

When they finally departed, Shizuka was just relieved to be moving again. She settled back into formation, pleased they were moving faster while the terrain was easy.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Kaguya Gomi Mayonaka Homare Shouki Shizuka

The team found themselves stopping - for better or for worse - for at least thirty minutes. This definitely would help with any fatigue, but it also would delay vital information that the individuals at the location were waiting on. And perhaps, not just vital information, it was possible that something important was sealed in those scrolls that would require quick delivery.

So they waited, and nothing came. No enemies, not even the roaring sound of a feral barbaric animal. Just silence and then they got up and continued onwards. The crude map that Shizuka drew in her restlessness would - maybe - help them, but she did not have photographic memory so it would be hard to follow just that.

It was about two hours before the mountainsides to their right gave way to field and sky. But that was not the way they were going, they were going towards the North, not the East. So they had to swerve away from that field and sky, towards something that would begin to grow in their field of vision promptly if they focused ahead.

The giant mass was an entanglement of trees, a thick forest. Potentially they could go around it to the left (or West) and manage their way around. Through the forest was slower, but definitely had more cover.

Around the way was faster - by a good deal - but was more open since there would not be a forest to cover them. At this junction there was also absolutely no paths to follow just what the team would decide to do next.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rotation 2/5
Next Post Due: Thursday, September 21; 5:00 PM [CENTRAL STANDARD TIME]
Update: No enemies or opposition, the team comes upon a forest - go through it or around it?

OWL

[Kaguya Gomi]

control harnessed: red keep saga This was such a waste of time in a moment that did not require it. Homare's caution was unnecessary, it was wrong. Stealth got no one anywhere when they needed to stay on the move for the most part. Gomi's displeasure only grew as their other companion caught up to watch this odd charade of events happening. Gomi hadn't made less noise from standing on the road and waiting for Homare to do literally anything. Which was readily apparent to not be an option in the playbook for now. With a sheer level of knowing that Homare was now definitely out to sabotage her Gomi was without any reason to ever listen to her. Perhaps that was also an attempt on Shizuka? Gomi didn't really care about that though Shizuka was grown and capable of keeping herself safe. Gomi was not going to take some slow route, and the armored kunoichi was fine with moving when Shizuka had said to. Kicking in with an almost unnatural jaunt to her step Gomi took to the open land whether the other two planned to follow that way or not. She would not hide in the woods, she would not hide at all. If her allies hide from death in her cacophany of sound, then that was fine. Gomi would turn to Homare though as they moved, "We can not do that again Homare. Do. Not. Do. That. Again. Hiding never leads to anything good." Gomi's voice was often hard to catch, but this came clear, cold, and it was not a warning. It was not advice.

[Mayonaka Homare]

Homare had allowed orders to be given to her by Shizuka, especially since those orders had made sense at the time, but she wasn't going to put up with very near threats from her own teammate. Homare wasn't easy to anger, but she could feel rage boiling up inside over this most recent statement, and without turning her head away from her careful vigilance, she responds to Gomi's threat directly. Her own voice is heated, with only the volume of her speaking voice muffled to avoid yelling directly at her own teammate and possibly drawing attention to the three of them unnecessarily.

"If you're going to try and kill your team, just keep doing what you're doing. You're already doing a great job with your attempted murder-suicide."

At this point, Homare sucks in air, hold it for a few seconds, then lets it out slowly. Her eyes were wide despite her eyebrows furrowed together; a look of near-insane rage for most women. She ignores her instant desire to apologize for her words to Gomi, and instead increases her pace to a near sprint, especially since the Kaguya is walking directly in the middle of the road; if she wants to get caught and opened like a clam shell by bandits, Homare is willing to let her make her own decisions. Instead, upon reaching the thicker forest, the Mayonaka recalls hearing from her parents that in their youth, they had swung about between trees using their spinnerets... but Homare had never learned to use Mayonaka's string before, and she had no intention to try it now and end up possibly impaled on a tree limb because she's not used to that kind of movement trick. They had already spent a good amount of time waiting to make sure there was no ambush, so it would seem that their path wasn't so heavily guarded on the bandits' patrols.

Homare looks to Shizuka and gestures to the more open area after all, unwittingly taking the same route that Gomi was also taking. Assuming, from getting hassled by Shizuka herself about even a momentary stop to watch the road, that their team leader was going to demand a faster route, Homare immediately sprints in that directly, following as close to the thicker forest as possible so she'll be able to duck in between trees should they come anywhere near the bandits; though that would slow them down if they did come upon bandits, it was better than being immediately spotted and taken down. As it is, she also kept her lower left hand firmly gripping the sheathe of her katana, ready to pull it at a moment's notice in order to cut down any bandits they actually did come across.

[Shouki Shizuka]

From her position in the rear, Shizuka was entirely unaware of her teammate's growing frustrations. Her own stress was rising as well - the closer they were to the Red Keep, the higher the chance was they would be caught by a checkpoint or patrol. When that happened it was her responsibility to lay a trap that would allow the team to escape. 

With no company but her thoughts, Shizuka's mind wandered to her last mission, the failure that had nearly ended her career. A skilled fighter had disguised themselves as an underling, and annihilated her and her team in under a minute after luring away their Jounin team leader. It was only by luck that the same Jounin noticed the ruse and rescued them in time. Shizuka's approach to this mission was sharpened by that experience. By fighting indirectly, any higher level opponents would be forced to show their hand, and could be dealt with accordingly.

As the trees began to thicken around the path, Shizuka spotted Homare alone, and they signaled each other. It was not out of the ordinary. Over the course of the last two hours, they had occasionally closed the distance between each other. After all, it was better to be too close than too far apart. Shizuka was pleased when Homare turned west and avoided the thickest parts of the forest. While she was nearly certain the risks of encountering a checkpoint was higher this way, it was faster, and if they executed her plan properly they could push through and still complete the mission on time.

Her inexperience in leadership had caused her to overlook a deadly detail, however. Gomi and Homare had split apart, and were no longer traveling closely together. Even the smallest gap in their formation as a pair could doom the plan - if one stood and fought while the other retreated, or they did not retreat in unison along the same path, Shizuka's trap would fail from the start. Unaware of the dangers, and with no way to communicate, Shizuka simply maintained the formation, giving her teammates a minute's lead and preparing to set a trap on their signal.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Kaguya Gomi Mayonaka Homare Shouki Shizuka

The teams teamwork was definitely on the fritz with a lot of conflict going around between all of them in the way the mission should be approached. It was hard to say who was correct, especially in this situation, but it was almost irrelevant...

Shizuka continued to trail, Homare stuck a bit more to the thicker parts of the forest whereas Gomi went towards the clearing with no forest at all. The road was distinctly disappearing at this junction too, some remnants of old wagon wheels but for the most part? Nothing. Homare could keep a vague eye out, or ear out for Gomi, but they were not really nearby each other.

The sound of bickering, and the clanking armor did attract something. It was not, however, something that the trio would likely expect.

It seemed out of the darkest parts of the forest a tiger had appeared, but there was no time to assess the situation and Shizuka was too far behind to know that a beast had appeared in the immediate vicinity as it lunged out from the thicker towards the closest target - Homare.

A delicious meal if it could sink its claws in. Tigers were not uncommon on these islands, and they were revered by many too. Would the trio stop to fight? Someone would have to, as the tiger would hardly stop its pursuit just because some genin tried to lose it... It seemed to have speed and strength on its side.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rotation 3/5
Next Post Due: Saturday, September 23; 11:10 PM [CENTRAL STANDARD TIME]
Update: The team is falling apart and just in time for a tiger to appear from the forest that Homare is sticking closer to - it was silent in its approach and attacks the Mayonaka from the side, with almost no time to react or to signal Shizuka of the situation. Would Gomi even hear the attack over the side of her moving armor?

OWL

[Kaguya Gomi]

control harnessed: red keep saga Homare had, in fact, taken what the Kaguya said to be a personal threat... perhaps that would keep her safe. The kiri genin didn't enjoy correcting what was obviously effective, even if it was utterly incorrect. The world was not so nice usually as to grant people personal opinions on hiding. It was bad, it was punished, and it was what killed. Hiding had given her her scars, and it had been why her father was brutally flayed for his swords. Hiding lead to nothing good. Not a damn thing. As they continued down the way Gomi was quiet and mostly ignorant of Homare, only glancing over to make sure that they had not been fully split. Gomi had, in fact, heard the events, but not the initial leap for Homare. What she heard was foreign noise that came after. Having gotten ahead of the girl and the tiger as the group had moved before twisting at the sound. The pit of her stomach twisting as her body moved on its own. The threat of the world held cosmic, stealth was a sin that was punished, hiding was a hell that no one should ever deal with. Gomi had told Homare to eschew such a stupid tactic in as level a voice as she could manage, even if it came out as nothing readily helpful. The mayonaka had ignored her words and even tried to be angry about it? Gomi was not after her, the world was. That didn't change the girl's instinctual reaction. Twisting on her heels and maintaining her pace to run back towards the now attacking beast Gomi would surprisingly take to the air, an electrical boot coming from above for the tiger's face. She didn't kill people, but a beast? She could kill a beast right? It had no ego to ruin, only a need for food. There was no need for granduer about this.

Jutsu Used:

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Hibana Entori [Sparking Entry]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: Raiton
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
A familiar technique that copies the Dynamic Entry in every shape and form. The user will distract their opponent in whatever way possible to get them to look the other way before striking them with a vicious kick. The difference is that they will coat lightning-based chakra around their leg to give their kick a more powerful boon in the form of a shock to the enemies bodies that'll send shivers around them.

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NAME: Subakage-ryū: Hohō [New Shadow Style: Step Method]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: N/A
DESCRIPTION:
The Step Method is the basis of all the Murahira's Subakage-ryū movement techniques. A human can walk, run, jump, and any other number of motions, but to truly achieve high speed they must learn to move properly. The Step Method is the isolation of technique, the removal of excess, and the refinement of action. It allows the user to move at speeds that exceed that which a shinobi would normally achieve, thereby improving the likelihood they will be able to run down a target or escape a blast radius.

It is not without its costs, though. The Step Method may be an idealized method of movement, but it is not the way a human will naturally try to move. It requires mental focus and extra physical exertion, though this basic form is less taxing than others.

[Mayonaka Homare]

Homare was a bit surprised by the sudden appearance of a wild beast, but she needs to react nearly instantly to avoid becoming a meal, or worse, a name on a gravestone. The only bit of warning she even gets is from the tiger changing from stalking to its attack, with its sudden rush towards her being signaled by the foliage rustling from its movements, and that motion catches her eye, so she's at least able to turn towards the tiger before it starts its leap. By the time Gomi might catch up to her or Shizuka might intervene, it would likely be too late for the genin, so Homare is the only one that can launch a counter-attack. She reflexively digs her own chakra down deep into the earth to find the groundwater, then harshly wills it upwards between herself and the now-airborne tiger, causing a blade of water to rise up, steel-hard and razor sharp as the genin steps back, giving the blade plenty of room to rise up high into the air for several meters; the tiger, unable to change its path in the air, would only be capable of having its body be pushed forwards by its own weight into the blade of liquid water. With multiple hundreds of pounds pressing it forwards, the tiger will likely be incapable of avoiding its fate as it becomes bisected starting at its snout.

Even as Homare backs away from the tiger's pounce, her lower right hand moves down to join its partnered left hand that was gripping the scabbard of her katana, with her right immediately prepared to draw the blade and instantly cut away any of the wild beast's claws should it try and make one final swipe at her, not that she thinks it likely that the tiger might do that in its death throes. That doesn't mean she isn't prepared to annihilate the great cat. She hears the harsh rattling and banging noise of Gomi's approach, but it's not much different from the earlier rattling and banging when Gomi had been running alongside them on the road, save that it was increasing in volume, which was more annoying than reassuring. The Mayonaka turns her head just in time to see Gomi also approaching in the air, and Homare rapidly halts her control over the blade of water, allowing the water to deform back into splattering, harmless water before her own teammate can run right into the blade. Of course, that also means that the tiger's body is now rushing towards her, so the genin has to quickly dive to the side to avoid being crushed underneath it as it lands on the grass with a harsh thud. It takes Homare a moment to get back up on her feet, panting a little from the effort and feeling a rush of adrenaline from the excitement.

"Keep moving! Stay next to the forest anyway. We probably won't find anything else to hunt us, since that tiger was here."

Homare hoped so, anyways. Without waiting for a response, she's already back up and running forwards again, staying close to the tree line so she'll still be able to dodge back in should she need to avoid being spotted.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Suiton: Kageōda [Water Release: Shadow Strike]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Suiton
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:

Mixing their chakra with the water present in the earth, the user creates a small katana-like blade beneath the surface and causes it to extend upwards from beneath the target at the speed of a kunai. The blade can extent indefinitely, however it cannot move from it's original trajectory.