[Honō Saya]

Saya sat still, her back leaning up against the rough wooden wall of the ferry’s quarterdeck, tucked in a small corner away from the mass of men and women milling about, a sketchpad resting on her thighs, honey-yellow gaze focused on the intricate circular shape she was working on. She had taken this mission as a test, of sorts, a way to gauge if she was as ready for the upcoming Chuunin Exams as she hoped she was, but just because it was important to her didn’t mean she couldn’t practice while she waited. Particularly given who her mission partner was.

Never worked with a Hyuuga before. She thought, twisting the charcoal piece in her hand as she added a small notation next to the formula on the bottom left lip of the seal (just a reminder to keep the derivative function in mind when calculating range), her face scrunched in concentration as she went over the form of the seal, making sure there weren’t any glaringly obvious holes or mistakes. When she found none, the Hono girl nodded, shutting her sketchpad with a smile and slid it into her pack before she stood and shouldered the bag.

The mission was a fairly simple one; bandits had been attacking the merchant shipments coming through River Country to Fire Country, making off with the goods and burning the ferries behind them, which had begun to put a damper on trade. The Daimyou of Fire Country had made an official proclamation demanding Kusa and Konoha deal with the issue, which had led to Lord Ichi posting a request for any able bodied Shinobi to take up the task, one she had answered with great enthusiasm.

The Mission Office had informed her she’d be working with a Konoha Kunoichi, one Raika Hyuuga, and had given her a general description to ensure she didn’t somehow miss the woman, but other than that every other decision had been left up to her on how to handle things. She’d taken the ferry by choice as, while it wasn’t as fast as she could have moved on foot, it did give her the chance to work out how one might attack such a vessel- and though she had no concrete certainties, she had come up some very good guesses that ought to serve well when it came time to actually fight.

Glancing towards the portside, Saya let a soft smile spread across her face, left hand resting gently atop Hitsuiken’s hilt as the ferry came to a gentle stop at the small village’s dock, her honey-yellow gaze glancing through the crowd as people began to depart. Her contact form Konoha was supposed to be tall, taller than her even, and rather muscular for a Hyuuga, so she shouldn’t be too hard to spot, even at a distance. Though, given how little she knew about the Hyuuga other than "weird eyeballs everyone wants to steal” (which was an oddly common thing amongst the Konoha clans), it was also entirely possible she’d miss the lady completely and be found first.

"Now where are you…"

Hyūga Raika

[Hyūga Raika]

493 words Honō Saya C-rank mission: 2/15 total posts

Raika can't help but to softly grunt to herself as she gets jostled a bit by worried families all seeking to make sure their loved ones had made it back to their small village safely. Although trade between Sunagakure and Konoha had been more commonly beset by ship seizures, it would make sense that these people would be just as terrified, should the bandits decide that the ships to Suna weren't carrying enough cargo to be worthwhile. It wasn't above them to take people for ransom if they could, after all. She'd seen that kind of thing enough in Kawa, though the price was far higher if the family could not or would not pay. But then, Kawa had been almost inhuman, and had made even kind men into no more than animals.

As it is, the Genin is jostled about to and fro among the crowd of worried townspeople, so many that Raika wasn't sure they were all actually from this particular village. Perhaps they'd all decided that just getting any ride to this small village was safer than going through the ninja villages, just in case the bandits took interest. That made sense, although it didn't make the jostling any less forceful and disorienting. She considers using the Jyuuken's Heavenly Rotation, then decides against it; while it would have likely just shoved most other hardy ninja away from her, it would probably break bones of the more civilian folk.

"Dammit..."

The word is muttered to herself, and then she sees that the on-ramp to the ferry is being let down to help the people onto the dock. How was she supposed to meet the Kusagakure rendezvous like this? There was no way she'd be seen, even with how tall she is. She's lucky she can catch sight of the on-ramp. That's when the Genin decides that a little show of power is in order, but only a little one. It'll get people to back away from her so that the meeting can take place, and as an added bonus, it'll mean Raika isn't being annoyed and assaulted from all sides.

With a harsh stamp of her foot, aided by the Hung Gar ring, Raika smashes her foot directly into the gravel-paved road that acts as a main thoroughfare through the small village, causing the earth to rumble and frightening the villagers from around her. Now that there's some space around her, Raika definitely stands out: at over six feet tall, she towers over most of the common folk, her straight black hair pulled back in a ponytail save for one strand on the side of her face. Her body is mostly covered in a pair of dark blue coveralls, but the weighted Hung Gar rings shake a bit on her wrists. Even with her body mostly covered, her forearms, wrists, and hands show enough of her physique that it's clear that she's a real powerhouse.

"All right Saya! There you are!"

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Honō Saya]

It took Saya a minute to catch sight of her contact; the crowd was thick with worried civilians and families embracing, men rushing to hug their wives, children crying out for parents, and parents eager to collect their children. Eventually, however, the ground shook in the middle of the crowd, a space opening up around a huge woman with long black hair and muscles that looked to be carved from granite rather than flesh. It was the woman’s eyes that caught her attention though; pale white and pupiless, they were a dead giveaway for a Hyuuga, one of the few things she knew about the clan’s powerful dojutsu beyond its apparently unmatched visual acumen.

Waving her hand towards the tall Hyuuga, the Hono girl leapt into motion, hurtling over the railing and off the ferry, landing on the water below with a grunt. Chakra surged through her feet, allowing her to walk over the surface of the river towards a small open space, away from the crowd, which she motioned Raika towards, her smile unwavering despite the slight twinge of nervousness she felt at meeting a new person.

"Hello, Hyuuga-san." The red head said once Raika was within earshot, bowing slightly as she spoke, both as a sign of respect to her mission partner and as a general courtesy, from one Shinobi "noble” to another. "I’m glad to see you could make it. The trip here wasn’t too boring, I hope?"

Hyūga Raika

Combat Info

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used:
NAME: Suimen Hokou no Waza [Act of Water Surface Walking]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low [Continuous]
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION:
A slightly more advanced version of the Tree Climbing Skill, this technique allows a shinobi to walk on water as if it were a solid surface. What makes this so difficult is a very precise amount of chakra ust be applied, as balance is harder to maintain on a not so tangible and even moving surface.
SA's:
A Bright Burning Light [Enhanced Chakra Reserves]
Born with abnormally large chakra reserves, Saya is capable of utilizing more jutsu than the average person of her rank, and can continue to use them at a much higher rate, allowing her to fight longer than others of her rank can without running out of chakra.

Seals Are Cool, I Swear! [Fuinjutsu Proficiency]
Having spent much of her time as a Genin learning the intricacies of Fuinjutsu, Saya has a better understanding of how seals interact with chakra than most others of her rank, which has allowed her to implant Fuinjutsu onto an object struck by her blade, so long as she has prepared the technique beforehand. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and Saya must concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used through the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channel a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through it).

Equipment:
Yoton Forged Steel
Forged using a unique blend of Iron Ore that can only be smelted with Yoton Release chakra, Hitsuiken boasts a surprising level of durability for a weapon of its rank, allowing it to shrug off blows that would shatter lesser blades with nary a nick or scratch. Additionally, the blade rarely needs to be sharpened, as its edge is quite hard, though of course it does require polishing and maintenance from time to time (this does not mean it is any sharper than normal).

Chakra Conductive - Fuinjutsu
Created specifically with the users Fuinjutsu prowess in mind, Hitsuiken lives up to its name by enabling whoever wields it to channel fuuinjutsu through it so long as the character has the correlating SA. This allows the wielder to apply said seals to the surface of the next object the blades touches, be it organic or inorganic provided the technique itself can affect said object in the first place. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and the user most concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used throught the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channle a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through the blade).

[Hyūga Raika]

334 words Honō Saya C-RANK MISSION: 4/15 TOTAL POSTS

Raika is somewhat surprised by the show of her contact leaping off the shop and instead walking across the water, but it makes sense. There was no use in trying to hold a conversation among a million other murmurings of families and friends meeting one another. Their words would be carried away from one another like so many carp in harsh rapids. She lets Saya show the way before she follows, making her way through the crowd easily enough. Rather like a rock, everyone has to part around her or risk being moved through. Not that the Genin would really try and get in anybody's way like that, but they flowed around her regardless. Once she's out of view of the rest of the villagers, she deactivates her Byakugan, sighing softly as the veins retract from her skin and her eyes seem to change from the pupil-less plain white to the more natural amaranthine color.

The Hyuga seems somewhat confused by the bowing, but she reflexively, if not respectfully, returns the bow to the other woman. Raika actually probably looked intense, with her eyebrows furrowed over her strikingly colored eyes, but in reality, this is just what she looks like when she's thinking very hard. Then, something seems to click inside her skull, a connecting of two previously disjointed pieces of information, her eyes much more focused and intent again despite not having the Byakugan activated.

"Oh! Saya of the Honoo clan! You're in the Chuunin Exams too."

Then there's a moment of awkwardness as Raika realizes that Saya had politely asked her a question and likely expected a similarly polite answer, rather than blurting out a statement that they both were already aware of. Her face flushes a little from the embarrassment, but she acts as though it wasn't nearly as embarrassing as it very clearly was.

"No, no, Grass Country is very pretty. I had enough excitement when I was young that I find too much of it really very... well, disappointing."

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Honō Saya]

"Ah, yes." Saya said, blinking at Raika’s some what stiff bow, her confusion at the taller woman’s reply buried beneath a mask of protocol and politeness that she maintained constantly. Her smile was genuine though, the black-haired (and apparently purple eyed) Hyuuga earning a proper one thanks to her earnestness, if nothing more. "I’m glad you made it here safely."

There was a moment of quiet as she chewed on what the Hyuuga had said, her smile fading to something more somber while she looked at the crowd of people still milling about. It’s likely you’ll be getting a lot more excitement before the day is out, sadly. She thought, her honey-yellow gaze lifting back up the her partner’s face as she spoke once more, this time much more serious. "I suppose we should get to planning then."

Saya reached into her pack then, pulling out the same sketchpad she’d been using earlier and flipping to a page she’d marked out; on it was as detailed a map as she could find of the nearby area, copied out meticulously by hand, along with a good bit of notes about recent bandit attacks and the various things they knew about what had happened. Their meeting place hadn’t been chosen at random; whoever ran intel between Konoha and Kusa had pinpointed it as the closest village to the most likely epicenter of the bandit attacks, though where, exactly, the group was located was still a mystery.

"This is a map of the nearby area, everything within twenty miles." She paused, letting Raika get a good look at the thing before she pointed to one of three spots marked off with a large red ‘X.’ "These are the spots I think the bandits might be hiding, This one is the most likely, but any of the three could be it- or none of them, really. I could only glean so much from scrolls and reports, but this spot used to be a grain storage for a local lord, built into the ground."

It was quite large, with several rooms and a fair bit of space inside; official records had it listed as filled in and unusable, but she wasn’t so sure. People could be endlessly creative when they put their mind to it, and nothing was quite so secure as a spot no one would bother to look through because it was "impossible” to use. "As you can see, its within a mile of this bend in the river, which means they could easily set forces on either side of the water and attack boats while they’re navigating the turn, and make a clean getaway through the forest here."

All of which matched the descriptions given by the few survivors who had been interviewed, albeit not perfectly. Plus there had been other attacks, both further up and down the river- but she was certain those had been test runs, or moments where something had gone wrong. "I’d appreciate your thoughts on the matter before we head out- and, of course, what you might be able to bring to the table in terms of finding them."

They could go over combat capabilities on the way, but for now… well. She’d done a lot of talking.

Hyūga Raika

[Hyūga Raika]

465 words Honō Saya C-RANK MISSION: 6/15 TOTAL POSTS

Raika is a bit surprised at the preparedness of her temporary teammate as she lays out the sketchpad that included an exceptionally accurate map of the area, complete with several details that the Genin had looked at but mostly ignored while she had stayed in the small village. Granted, she'd only been there for a few hours, but it had been long enough for her to look around the countryside a little bit. She hadn't gone searching for long and certainly hadn't had enough time to check out any of the marked locations on the map, so the other woman's guess was as good, or likely better, than her own.

The explanation in the notations off the side of the notebook describing why the location was the best likely spot seemed to make sense to her, although she clearly wasn't the brains here; she could see, now that it was laid out in front of her, why the location was a good one for a secretive base of operations, or at the very least a great storage house for ill-gotten gains. Without the information laid out for her, she likely would have ended up going there eventually, but she would have hit every apparently abandoned building on the way there, too. Not that she'd say so out loud.

"My thoughts on the matter are that you've clearly thought this through. They're going to have quite a surprise when we show up there, and it really does sound like it's our best option to catch them unawares and in their own home. The only thing to worry about is defenses and traps. As for what I bring to the table..."

She pauses, thinking back to herself what she'd seen of Saya that wouldn't be at all visible from just looking at her, then remembers noticing something on the other woman's person that had caught some interest, if only because it was especially lovely.

"I'd have suggested leaving that lovely green pendant at home, but it's probably a good luck charm. Just make sure it's kept safe."

The incredibly tall woman stares directly into Saya's eyes when she says this, making it clear that her Byakugan wasn't currently activated, and that she'd drawn that information from just a glance. She didn't really need to fully disclose how much the Byakugan could or would see, and it was in the clan's best interests that they stay secretive about how effective it is, even with their allies. Hell, even people in Konoha didn't know all of the abilities of the Byakugan, and the clan liked it that way. Raika personally didn't much enjoy hiding possibly relevant information from people who were friends, but it wasn't really her decision.

"Okay, I think that's enough dillying all the dallies. Shall we?"

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Honō Saya]

It took Saya a grand total of two seconds to process the implications of what Raika said. The gears in her mind turned, crunching the words down into what the woman meant, and in an instant her seriousness melted away into a feeling she rarely experienced these days; embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed and, instinctively, she reached up towards her mother’s necklace, hidden beneath the folds of her outfit, a retort almost bursting from her lips. Almost, because the redhead caught herself the moment before she could say anything, stamping down on the surprise and forcing herself to take a deep, calming breath.

"That is… very useful to know, Hyuuga-san." The Hono girl said after a long moment of silence, hand falling to her side as put the information together with what she already knew. Being able to see through clothes, while certainly indecent, likely hinted at something a fair bit more useful- and while she had no idea how deep her Byakugan would be able to see beneath the surface, even a few feet could prove valuable. Especially given what they were walking into.

"But yes, that should be enough." Saya said, nodding to her partner as she gestured towards the forest- it was a bit of a run to their first target, almost two miles, but with Raika’s eyes and her own, rather thorough knowledge of the area, its was unlikely they’d be caught unawares by anything or anyone. "Shall we?"

Hyūga Raika

[Hyūga Raika]

369 words Honō Saya C-RANK MISSION: 8/15 TOTAL POSTS

Raika notices the movement of her hand towards the necklace, and the momentary pause in her speech, and realizes she might have hit a nerve or made herself seem indecent, but the Genin was purely clinical in what she could see with the Byakugan. After all, when seeing everything everywhere all at once, some details had to be fuzzy, but she could make out a few features when her attention was brought directly to them. But Raika instantly decides that mentioning that would likely only offend Saya far worse, and that was not good for the continued alliances of their villages. At the very least, the other kunoichi seems to regain her stately composure and puts away the sketchbook in preparation to leave, so Raika stands ready again, making sure the Hung Gar rings around her wrists are secured as the other woman points into the forest.

The Hyuuga isn't about to let herself sweat inside her coveralls, and it seems they're about to immediately get to work, so she unzips the top half of the coveralls before firmly wrapping the arms around her waist, locking them down around her without any part of it being left loose. Underneath her coveralls, she dresses even more simply and with far more skin showing, her powerfully statuesque body much more visible when her torso is only covered by a plain black crop tank top, leaving her arms, abs, and shoulders fully exposed to the elements now while the Konoha headband hung loosely around her neck, no longer somewhat supported by the upper half of her coveralls as she digs her boot into the ground.

"We shall!"

With that, Raika is off, though making sure that Saya is keeping pace. For such a smart woman, she's surprised that Saya isn't dragging behind much at all, at least. She activates her Byakugan, allowing Raika to keep a close eye on their surroundings and also watch out for underground openings that they might be able to use in order to find a hidden rear entrance. After all, a building is more easily defended by the front gate, but an escape hatch is far less useful when the enemy is breaching to you through it.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Honō Saya]

Saya followed behind her temporary teammate, honey-yellow gaze focused on both the back of the Hyuuga’s head and their surroundings all at once. It was a trick her uncle had taught her, a way of focusing on everything without appearing to do so, and while she couldn’t keep her mind attuned to literally everything as he could, she was decent enough to catch details most would miss. Not that it compared to Raika’s doujutsu prowess, of course, but every bit mattered. That it helped her to not focus on the… indecent implications of the taller woman’s abilities was, in her mind, something of an unexpected bonus.

At least she didn’t look that far. The redhead thought as the pair moved through the trees, mostly silent save for the occasional snap of a branch or rustle of slowly dying leaves. The trees were in full autumn bloom, their leaves various shades orange and brown and red in a kaleidoscope of colors that, had she not been on a mission, would have served as a wonderful backdrop to practice her calligraphy. Even so, they were most definitely on a mission, so she would have to settle for a passive sort of enjoyment. Though, perhaps after they handled these bandits she could return and spend a few hours working on a project.

"See anything?" Saya said once they got close, perhaps a hundred meters out; she had no idea the outer limit of the girl’s Byakugan and, while the information would be useful for the mission, she understood why the Konoha kunoichi hadn’t been very forthcoming about its abilities. They could very well be set against each other in the coming Chuunin Exams after all, and information like that could very easily be used against someone. God knows I didn’t tell her anything about what I can do…

Hyūga Raika

Combat Info

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used: N/a

SA's:
A Bright Burning Light [Enhanced Chakra Reserves]
Born with abnormally large chakra reserves, Saya is capable of utilizing more jutsu than the average person of her rank, and can continue to use them at a much higher rate, allowing her to fight longer than others of her rank can without running out of chakra.

Seals Are Cool, I Swear! [Fuinjutsu Proficiency]
Having spent much of her time as a Genin learning the intricacies of Fuinjutsu, Saya has a better understanding of how seals interact with chakra than most others of her rank, which has allowed her to implant Fuinjutsu onto an object struck by her blade, so long as she has prepared the technique beforehand. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and Saya must concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used through the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channel a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through it).

Equipment:
Yoton Forged Steel
Forged using a unique blend of Iron Ore that can only be smelted with Yoton Release chakra, Hitsuiken boasts a surprising level of durability for a weapon of its rank, allowing it to shrug off blows that would shatter lesser blades with nary a nick or scratch. Additionally, the blade rarely needs to be sharpened, as its edge is quite hard, though of course it does require polishing and maintenance from time to time (this does not mean it is any sharper than normal).

Chakra Conductive - Fuinjutsu
Created specifically with the users Fuinjutsu prowess in mind, Hitsuiken lives up to its name by enabling whoever wields it to channel fuuinjutsu through it so long as the character has the correlating SA. This allows the wielder to apply said seals to the surface of the next object the blades touches, be it organic or inorganic provided the technique itself can affect said object in the first place. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and the user most concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used throught the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channle a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through the blade).

[Hyūga Raika]

375 words Honō Saya C-RANK MISSION: 10/15 TOTAL POSTS

Raika had actually noticed the underground tunnels a while back before Saya asks her anything, but she doesn't say anything about it, partially because it might reveal too much about how well her Byakugan can see through objects, and partially because she hadn't actually seen any kind of emergency exit or escape tunnel just yet. As soon as Saya asks, however, she reaches up to grab hold of a sturdy branch, swinging herself up onto it and using it to stop herself from continuing on with the run towards the above ground hideout, which she can see is actually fairly well-defended and patrolled. The last thing she wants is to let Saya run into the building and end up caught, or alert the guards to their presence, and this also gives the Hyuuga a chance to let her eyes run more carefully over the various underground store rooms.

"Oh, yeah, I see a lot. Those underground store rooms are at least laid out evenly enough, but they're definitely not filled in. Not anymore anyways."

She scans over the ground without moving her head or even her eyes, letting her sight wash over the dirt until she finds one particular tunnel, one barely half the height of an adult man, likely meant to serve a dual function of an escape tunnel as well as a ventilation tunnel. After all, with a bit more focus, she could see that the tunnel also had a rivulet through the floor, allowing rainwater to plunge deeper into the earth in order to keep it dry. It only had one guard, and that one man was very relaxed. This was definitely their way in.

Raika points out the entrance of the tunnel, hidden by a large mound of what looked to be a stone grave, likely of some lowborn person since it didn't even have a name. She could see that the majority of the stones were simply hollow, meaning that the entrance could be easily pushed open from the inside of the tunnel, even if one were bent at the waist.

"There's our entrance. Once we're in, they're going to swarm us. So how do you wanna do it? Distraction up front? Infiltration by pretending to be one of them?"

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Honō Saya]

When Raika stopped, Saya fell in below her, utilizing the Tree-Walking technique to adhere to the side of the trunk beneath the Hyuuga as she spoke, her honey-yellow gaze focused on the ground below. They were close- she could actually see the main storage mound, a huge lump of raised dirt that, at first glance certainly appeared to be abandoned. But her companions eyes were keener than even she could know, and as the black-haired Kunoichi spoke, the Hono girl began to put the pieces together of what needed to be done.

"One of us definitely needs to head in through that escape tunnel…" She said after a moment, walking up to the branch Raika was on, head tilted to one side as she spoke, whispering so as not to give away their position to any observant bandits nearby. Part of her was tempted to pull out all the explosive tags she had on her, kill the man guarding the tunnel, stick them on his corpse, and use it as a mobile bomb, turning the entire thing into one big cave-in- but that would still leave the men out front for them to deal with and, more importantly, would destroy all the goods they had stockpiled inside.

"...And I think it has to be you." Saya said after a long moment, looking towards the Hyuuga, her face calm and focused as she tapped Hitsuiken at her side for emphasis. "It’s going to be tight in there, which rules me out- this thing needs space to swing, and I don’t think there will be much of that with how many are in there." That didn’t mean she was useless, though, just that, in this instance, the Hyuuga was the more logical choice to head in through the backdoor.

"You’ll need a distraction though." The redhead continued, taking a deep breath as she weighed out what needed to be done. Raika would have to deal with the man at the back, but she would need a distraction once inside to ensure she didn’t get swarmed by a bunch of bandits in the tunnels. And if there was one thing she knew she could do, it was make a lot of noise really, really damn fast. "I can handle that. I’ll draw their attention up front once you head in, then make my way through the front once I deal with the doormen."

Saya paused, running a hand through her hair as she smiled, a little sheepish at her attitude. Since when had she been put in charge? "Well, I mean… if you think it’s a good idea."

Hyūga Raika

[Hyūga Raika]

359 words Honō Saya C-RANK MISSION: 12/15 TOTAL POSTS

Raika silently agrees with Saya when she states that one of them needs to head in through the escape tunnel, and she's about to suggest that the smaller of the two should go into it, but she's stopped when Saya brings up an even more relevant point about her blade requiring room to swing, room that doesn't really exist within those four underground rooms. As much as she dislikes the idea of having to fit through the small tunnel, she decides that she really can get down there if she tries, and Saya certainly sounds confident that she can at least provide a much-needed distraction from the guards at the front. An assault on both sides at the same time is extremely tempting...

"Okay, that plan works out. There's one guard in the room connected to the escape tunnel, three at the front. It looks like one of them is doing inventory, and four of them are resting in a room set apart from their stolen goods. So don't go too big once you come in, or you'll destroy the things they saw fit to steal."

Raika wasn't really the one in charge, either, and it seemed like Saya was more knowledgeable about the general area anyway, so she had somewhat assumed that the other Genin was actually the one in charge of this mission. Perhaps they could just be equals in terms of the mission, each making decisions based on the best course of action. Now Raika stands up, cracking her knuckles, then her neck, then her spine as she prepares to drop into the cramped escape passage.

"All right. Let's do it."

With the Hyuuga prepared, she jumps down from the tree and rushes to the escape tunnel, working carefully to pry up the false stone grave so she can slide down into the tunnel feet-first, using her hands to push against the walls of the tunnel in order to drive her legs in through the escape hatch until she pops out directly in front of the guard, surprising him awake as she calls out, just loudly enough that her voice travels through the rooms.

"Hello, boys!~"

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Honō Saya]

"Got it." Saya said, nodding as Raika moved away from the tree, her longer legs carrying the Hyuuga across the ground quickly. The Hono didn’t wait for her partner to get through the escape tunnel’s covering to make her own move though; the point of a distraction was that it needed to happen in tandem with what you were trying to distract someone from, so the instant the other Genin moved, so did she, launching through the trees until she landed in front of a small copse of thorns and brambles, clearly meant to act as a kind of natural deterrent to prevent undue snooping by a random wandering peasant.

Unfortunately for the three men up front, however, she was far from a peasant- and they were far from the first men she’d killed. Slipping a pair of kunai from her back pouch, the Kusa-nin took a deep breath and then, with growl, leapt out of the shadows in a whirlwind of motion, landing in front of the first guard, her hands flashing in a crisscross pattern of cuts meant to filet the man from top to bottom, only to toss the pair of them to the side, sinking them into the loamy earth a good ten meters to either side of her.

She didn’t let up, drawing Hitsuiken from its sheath on her hip as the man before her toppled, blood spurting from his wounds, his voice a gurgling mess of viscera and gore from the slash she’d thrown across his throat. His two companions, alert and prepared but clearly not prepared for this, blinked in shock for a single moment before they moved in, bellowing for their comrade’s life… And then, with a single seal, she exploded the tags wrapped around her kunai, the shockwave traveling through the ground and tossing dirt up into the air, knocking the pair of bandits to the knees and likely getting the attention of everyone inside the bunker all at once.

Alright. Let’s go.

Hyūga Raika

Combat Info

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used: N/a - Detonated 2 Exploding tags attached to Kunai. One Bandit dead, two others on the ground. Big ass distraction, accomplished.

SA's:
A Bright Burning Light [Enhanced Chakra Reserves]
Born with abnormally large chakra reserves, Saya is capable of utilizing more jutsu than the average person of her rank, and can continue to use them at a much higher rate, allowing her to fight longer than others of her rank can without running out of chakra.

Seals Are Cool, I Swear! [Fuinjutsu Proficiency]
Having spent much of her time as a Genin learning the intricacies of Fuinjutsu, Saya has a better understanding of how seals interact with chakra than most others of her rank, which has allowed her to implant Fuinjutsu onto an object struck by her blade, so long as she has prepared the technique beforehand. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and Saya must concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used through the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channel a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through it).

Equipment:
Yoton Forged Steel
Forged using a unique blend of Iron Ore that can only be smelted with Yoton Release chakra, Hitsuiken boasts a surprising level of durability for a weapon of its rank, allowing it to shrug off blows that would shatter lesser blades with nary a nick or scratch. Additionally, the blade rarely needs to be sharpened, as its edge is quite hard, though of course it does require polishing and maintenance from time to time (this does not mean it is any sharper than normal).

Chakra Conductive - Fuinjutsu
Created specifically with the users Fuinjutsu prowess in mind, Hitsuiken lives up to its name by enabling whoever wields it to channel fuuinjutsu through it so long as the character has the correlating SA. This allows the wielder to apply said seals to the surface of the next object the blades touches, be it organic or inorganic provided the technique itself can affect said object in the first place. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and the user most concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used throught the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channle a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through the blade).

[Hyūga Raika]

493 words Honō Saya C-RANK MISSION: 14/15 TOTAL POSTS

Raika can actually hear the explosion from the front entrance as she makes her way into the underground compound, which ensures for her that the distraction is already working as intended. In fact, her own entrance to the room isn't even noticed at first by the guard for this particular hidden exit, with him facing the antechamber. Her own introduction gets his attention long enough to make him turn around, but by that point, the Genin is already readying her chakra in her right hand, and she reaches him in an instant to slam her palm directly into his solar plexus, releasing the chakra in a brilliant burst of sky-blue. It silences him from yelling out a warning not to come to the exit, and she follows it up with a neck-breaking elbow strike to his jaw, instantly killing him as his head turns too far for a normal person before she tosses him aside.

The other bandits come running to the exit, as this is apparently their normally-intended escape path if something should go wrong at the entrance, but with Raika's physically imposing body blocking the actual escape route, they rush in only to find her readying herself with chakra flowing out of every one of her tenketsu points. With a sudden spinning motion, she releases all of that chakra, causing a dome to erupt from her body and crush the other bandits against the walls, not enough to do more than stun them and push the air from their lungs, as she's only really expelling high-pressure chakra into a room slightly smaller than the actual dome created by the Kaiten technique.

"Haaaaaaah!"

After using such a technique to stun five different bendits, she stops spinning so she can rush down the nearest one, stomping his face back to the floor and ensuring that he won't be getting back up. Raika is similarly accustomed to death, apparently. She feels like she's back in Kawa, and she only hopes she can snap out of it before Saya arrives as she turns to the next target and goes into a combat rage. She throws a straight punch at the very center of the chest of the next bandit, shattering his sternum and instantly stopping his heart. By the time he's dead, the other three have turned to face the Hyuuga, only to find them center ninja on the receiving end of a flying kick directed at his throat, silencing him immediately and permanently.

The Genin turns her attention to the other two, using a series of strikes back and forth, using her great natural strength and the weight of her Hung Gar rings to break bones and pulverize organs.

It's only a matter of moments before Raika, covered in the blood of several men, comes up out of the compound, breathing heavily, but clearly unharmed, and despite the gory appearance, she gives the other Genin a great big smile.

"You're paying for the dry-cleaning!"

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used

NAME: Shōtei [Palm Bottom]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:

The user thrusts their palm forward, hitting the enemy’s body with a quick and precise motion. The technique is both basic and deadly; this is because like any other Gentle Fist technique it injects chakra into the target causing a great deal of internal damage. When the technique is used it usually temporarily paralyzes an opponent but the collateral damage is not on par with much more elaborated techniques.

NAME: Hakkeshō Kaiten [Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
REQUIREMENT: Hyuuga Clan [Main House]
DESCRIPTION:

A secret jutsu only handed down within the main house of the Hyuga clan. For this technique the user is expected to expel a huge amount of chakra from all the chakra points from a user’s body and start rotating their bodies. This will create a barrier around the user, which will shield them from nearby attackers, tossing and deflecting them away. The user can actively control the size of the sphere and thus make it bigger or smaller depending on the situation. If the user can not spin, however, their protective field will become weak and vulnerable.

NAME: Dainamikku Entori - [Dynamic Entry]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:

After utilizing a distraction, such as throwing a kunai, the user will perform a jump kick into their opponent's face from their blind spot.

Equipment Used

NAME: Hung Gar Ring
RANK: C
CLASSIFICATION: Supplementary
ELEMENT: None
OWNER: -
DESCRIPTION:

A deceptively simple metal ring pair measuring anywhere from 3.5" (8.89 cm) to 5" (12.7 cm) inner diameter and about 1" (2.54 cm) thick. These rings come in a variety of weights to suit the users strength level. Hung Gar Rings are meant to be stacked on the forearms or shins in pairs (one per limb), with more rings being added consecutively as the user gets used to the existing weight. They are not meant to be worn all the times (especially multiple stacks) as this can cause loose joints and deformations in the limbs of the user, including elongation of the joints of the limb due to tendon and ligament tensile pressure creating small tears in the tendons and ligaments that are repaired in situ.

Not only do they help the user strike harder, but the added weight itself adds more inertia to the strikes as well. If used with for long enough and used persistently, then removed, the user will feel off-balance and their strikes will follow-through further than expected. The user will find their strikes are faster, but less accurate.

ABILITIES:

As a supplementary equipment to Taijutsu users, Hung Gar Rings make the users strikes heavier and apply more force upon contact. Making their strikes do more damage.

SAs:

Stronger Fist | Strength SA
A great deal of training with weights has caused Raika's strength to improve dramatically over a relatively short period of time. Utilizing the Hung Gar rings to improve her physical strength, she is capable of punching and kicking with much more power, and carrying a much more impressive amount of weight, even for a woman of her height.

Hyuga Clan Member - Main Family
As a member of the main family of the Hyuga clan, (even as a subversive member of the main branch) Raika has been permitted to learn to use her Byakugan, as well as the clan's signature and carefully guarded Taijutsu style of Juken.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Honō Saya]

Saya moved on the downed bandits with an efficiency born of ruthless training. Her Uncle had taught her how to use the blade, to never draw it unless you knew, for certain, that it would fulfill its purpose: to take lives. Hitsuiken flashed out in two simple arcs, both her hands on the hilt as her blade cleaved through the necks of the men as they struggled to stand. It was almost unfair, how easy it was to kill them… but they hadn’t cared about fair or kind when they had attacked innocent civilians, looted barges and killed merchants for the literal clothes off their backs. So might not have been fair, it was just. And that was all that mattered to her.

Flicking the blood free from her blade as Raika emerged from the front door, the Hono girl’s eyes widening at the sight. Covered in gore and blood, the Hyuuga looked like she had put through a meat grinder and come out the other side… and yet, by her chipper attitude the red-head knew her partner wasn’t injured in the slightest. Still, the encounter had gone rather well for the pair of them, even discounting their lack of experience working together- she hadn’t had to fight to be heard, and had listened to the black-haired Konoha woman as much as she had been listened to. And if she had, perhaps, been a bit more "leader-y” than the Hyuuga… well. Someone had to be in charge, even if it was in name only.

"Of course, Hyuuga-san. It’s the least I can do, since it was my idea." Saya said after sheathing Hitsuiken, following the steps her Uncle had taught her in order to preserve the blade’s edge and sheath it without looking. Edge down. Slide the side of the blade along the thumb, into the hole, and then gently push in, letting gravity to the work. With her weapon sheathed, the Kusa-nin offered Raika another smile, pointedly ignoring the corpses at her feet as she spoke once more, gesturing towards the entrance.

"Let’s see if they have a washroom first. The stolen goods aren’t going anywhere."

Hyūga Raika