[Gima Taro]

Taro stared up at the sky as rain fell onto his face, walking alongside the man who was to be their escortee. 

His body was on what needed to be done, but truth be told, his mind was more on his training. The traits of a rat were many, and part of his training meant getting access to that which made a rat a rat. Powers beyond that of a normal human. 

For one, senses. Rats were known to have some of the greatest noses in the world, far beating even wolves and other such smelling animals. Indeed, a rats sense of smell was not only powerful, but able to be adjusted- They could smell if someone was sick. They could smell the intent of someone's pheromones'. They could smell poison and even latent diseases. This, combined with their incredible levels of hearing... It was a curious, but interesting thing- A sensory sort of ability that could potentially make Taro impossible to sneak up on. Some scents never went away, after all, even if you scrubbed them clean, and rarely was someone truly silent.
 
Just as much that though, Rats are known as a rather agile species. Quick on their feet and able to twist and contort their bodies in different ways, such abilities could easily turn your average shinobi into a flexible machine- Bending oneself in ways that, really, shouldn't be possible. Breaking the limits of how far someone can bend or dodge. A good thing to keep in mind when your sense of smell was enhanced.

What was the last one, though... He just couldn't put a finger on it.

Not that it all really mattered right now, he was just lost in his head. The mission here was rather simple. Escort this... Inventor guy to the country border. Easy as pie. There were rumors that there might be some bandits or something, but Taro wasn't too concerned. Really, he couldn't imagine why someone would want this guy dead or kidnapped. Maybe money? 

Regardless, he was fully geared and kitted up, his blades sheathed as he stretched out loudly, glancing over towards Mimi.

"You uh... Sense anything?" She had the better sensory skills right now, after all, and they had been walking for a good distance. Ah yes, almost forgot to mention.

Mimi was with him. He had told her he'd let her help him practice, and to top it off, they rarely spent enough time together... If any at all, so...

It was nice to drag her out with him on this mission. She was a good hang out buddy- Someone he could understand and talk to. And a darn good kunoichi, from what he'd heard.

[miyake mikio]

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED A clear plastic umbrella adorned with two sparkly pink cat ears twirled beneath the falling rain as Mikio jumped from puddle to puddle. She cackled joyfully as her bright yellow rain boots were splattered with mud, while Azuki and Maru—both terribly fastidious, hygienic creatures—looked on with a mixture of horror and disdain. Azuki flanked the escortee, while Maru was glued to Taro’s side, seemingly in apology for the damage he’d inflicted on the boy during their more recent interaction. Her claw-blades were mounted to her wrists but retracted for the time being. If not for the Amegakure hitai-ate mounted firmly upon her head, she would have looked for all the world like your average schoolgirl, complete with stockings and cozy, oversized jacket. The inventor they were escorting looked dimly horrified at the prospect of being protected by a genin and this girl, even moreso when he found out that she was the senior of the two, but what was he to do except accept his fate? At Taro’s question, Mikio bounded over to him, lifting her nose high in the air to sniff-sniff for anything suspicious. "Nope!” she said cheerfully, "but Mimi’s senses are just kind of average unless Mimi is fully transformed! Maru, do you sense anything?” The younger puma was the more adept hunter of the pair; though he lacked his mother’s years of experience, he had keen senses and a strong prey drive. After nudging Taro’s leg affectionately the puma took off ahead of both of them, presumably to do a bit of scouting on their behalf. Thoroughly muddied and enjoying herself in the rain, Mikio took up Maru’s abandoned post at Taro’s side, marching solidly alongside him. "This is fun!” she said. "When was the last time Ta-ko and Mimi went on a mission together?” They must have, from the time that she was a ride-along for genin team three… though Taro had been on team three for only a brief time after Mikio transferred to Ame, so it may have only been once, if it happened at all. She was excited to see him in action! Gima Taro -- 355

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Gima Taro]

He had been on one mission with Mimi before, but as he recalled, it was rather calm and unassuming. His eyes drifted over towards the schoolgirl dressed catgirl, a soft smirk on his face. It was hard to keep a stoic face when Mimi did things like that.

Taro really was thinking he was starting to have a soft spot for this girl, and not just for her adorable choice in clothes. She was just generally very... Joyous, to be around. Kind, but still vicious. Loyal. Something Taro greatly respected. Loyalty was important to him, after all, as someone who was loyal to the death himself.

"Mrm... The last time? It must have been quite a long time ago... Probably before I er, started my training." He shrugged.

"I don't think it matters too much though. It's just nice to be out here with you. You look good, by the way." A flash of a smile at her outfit before he stared forward.

"That said, we should keep our ears open and noses in the air. I know it's easy to get complacent but... This is a mission, and on a mission, we should be prepared for anything." Taro took his missions very seriously, in truth.

But that went without saying. Taro was a very careful person, and took his job as a Shinobi dead serious. It was partly why his Sensei picked him out as a student. When the chips were on the table? You wouldn't find a more loyal, stronghearted Shinobi in perhaps all of Amegakure.

And that meant keeping his head on a swivel as well, watching for potential movements in the trees, or anything off- Genjutsu could always be at play, after all.

"So. Whats the plan if we do end up getting attacked? I assume you know my fighting style..." He did have that new practice to work on. But did she know about that? He'd probably have to act like a normal Shinobi here, and not use his Sage abilities, as he hadn't really explained it to the catgirl.

And I mean, it wasn't like she was watching him train or anything, right?

[miyake mikio]

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED Mikio’s vain attempt at racking her brain for the memory of that one-time long-ago mission with Taro was utterly sidelined by the compliment he paid her, which sent her into a fit of preening and posing, excitedly showing off that her skirt had pockets (!!) and that her stockings made it so that her thigh-sheath of kunai didn’t slip-slide while she was running or jumping around. Fashionable and practical! \ "Mimi is always prepared,” she said, nodding sagely. "Maru will come back if he finds anything fishy, and in the meantime Mimi and Azuki and Ta-ko will be extra careful to keep Inventor-san safe.” Though she wasn’t as outwardly vigilant as Taro—her head was most certainly not on a swivel—pink ears were perked for any sound of unusual activity, including the warning signal that her normally-silent predator-companions knew to alert if something was going wrong. Mikio did know Ta-ko’s fighting style! And it certainly wasn’t because she’d been spying on him and his rat-sensei in the stinky dirty sewers! "Ye-eeeeee-ees,” Mikio hedged, shifting her weight anxiously from side to side. "Of course Mimi knows Ta-ko’s fighting style! From the mission, and from team three training! And from nothing else at all!” Phew. One lie, expertly executed. He wouldn’t suspect a thing. "If we get attacked the plan is to kill the attackers,” Mikio added as an afterthought. The inventor made a strangled noise somewhere in the back of his throat, so she amended: "Kill or maim, but the main thing is keeping Inventor-san safe!” Gima Taro -- 262

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Gima Taro]

Fashionable and practical? Dang, she really was prepared. Taro also knew she was paying more attention then she'd let on. After all, she was still a Shinobi- A Chuunin at that. Taro was still just a Genin. You didn't become a Chuunin by accident, you had to be one hell of a strong Shinobi.

Which is to say that Taro wasn't worried that Mimi would get distracted or lose sight of the mission goal, if it came down to it. She worked hard, even if she goofed around a bit, and Taro could appreciate that side of her.

She pointed out her knowledge of his training, and his eyebrow raised a perch above the rest, as he stared holes at this silly cat.

"Uh-huh... Then, whats your battle tactic? And what do you think mine is?" He would test this. See how much she knew. If she did know more than she let on, that was fine, he'd deal with it later, at least he could practice his skills.

If she didn't know? Well, then he'd just tell her the usual stuff. He was a determined fighter, but still learning the style of hit-and-run. If he wasn't using his Sage abilities, he was still one hell of a dangerous Shinobi.

[miyake mikio]

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED What were Mikio’s battle tactics? She clapped her hands together, excited to give her spiel no matter how many times the question was asked—her students at the academy were always equally curious as to her skillset, since she didn’t seem to have any particularly strong talents off the tin. "Pack tactics!” Mikio chirped. "Mimi and Azuki and Maru work as a team! Once we find our prey, Mimi and Maru merge in order to be faster and stronger, and while Mimi-Maru gets up close to distract our prey, Azuki sneaks in from the flank for the kill. Lately Mimi has also liked using a little genjutsu or a shadow clone for even more distractions, but that’s only if our prey seems like they’re gonna be reaaaaaaaally strong. And Ta-ko is going to be a big help too! Ta-ko fights really hard and up close most of the time so Ta-ko can help distract prey and keep ‘em busy, plus if Ta-ko needs time to sit down and be still, then Mimi-Maru and Azuki can get Ta-ko the time he needs to poweruuuu—” She cut herself off, eyes widening as she realized abruptly that her mouth had run away from her, and she coughed loudly, once, as if that would distract Taro from what she had just said, and quickly moved on. "—uuh, I mean, needs to take a break or… patch yourself up or something… then that’s what Mimi is good for!” Crisis averted. Probably? Her ears twitched; in the distance, there was a single loud yowl, held for precisely three seconds. "That’s Maru,” Mikio said, her head tilting. "That means enemies incoming.” Exactly how many or how fast, she didn’t know—but at least they’d avoided a potential ambush! Gima Taro -- 289

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Gima Taro]

Taro listened to Mimi explain herself as they walked. So she did know about his training... How, though? He'd only trained a bit in private, there was no way unless...

Hrm. She was caught by her tongue at this point, and he was about to press the issue and ask what she was doing spying on him, before...

A howl in the distance. Instantly, Taro's mind seperated from that of the conversation. As if a switch was flicked on in his head, his mind sharpened and he searched left, then right. He didn't have any sensory skills to speak of at the moment, but...

"Alright. I'll move left, into the brush." A low whisper, as he traded eyes with his partner.

"You just make sure they don't hit me, and I'll... Sit down and be still." He explained, as he shook his head. It was clear he knew what she knew, or at least was caught onto it, but again, he wasn't going to bring it up right now.

Instead, he sharply dart into the bushes, taking a seat as he closed his eyes and relaxed. Right... What did his teacher say...? Stillness. Perfect stillness. Focus on his chakra. All of it. Form it into Senjutsu chakra... Blend it all together... Find yourself... In tune.

This was hard. Taro really, really hoped that Mimi would be able to hold off whatever enemies were heading their way. Otherwise, they were going to be in trouble.

[miyake mikio]

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED For a second Mimi thought she had successfully gotten away with her deception, and was inordinately pleased with herself—but then he said he was going to sit down and be still and Mikio seemed to deflate like a week-old balloon. Caught out, then—he knew that she knew, and while the mission took priority over him saying anything about it, his disappointment was clear in the shake of his head before he darted into the bushes. Guilt and worry twisted into a nasty knot in the pit of Mikio’s stomach, but she did her best to push her feelings down—Inventor-san was looking to Mikio in confusion and fear as Ta-ko scurried away, and with enemies en route that meant she was the first line of defense while Ta-ko did his special meditation time. Mikio took a deep breath, and after forming one handseal two Mimi-clones poofed into existence. "Take Inventor-san and get to safety,” she told the clones sternly, passing her fancy umbrella off and shooing the trio away. The two Mikios frog-marched the inventor back the way they’d come, hurrying towards an old rain-shelter they’d passed along the way a few dozen meters before. A moment later, Maru came sprinting out of the treeline. An arrow protruded from his hind leg and was weeping blood; not enough to hobble him completely, but the puma was clearly in pain. Shortly behind him, six enemies: two archers that clung to the treeline, while the other four rushed out into the open. Two were chasing after Maru and sprinting to engage with Mikio herself, while the other two dashed down the road after the inventor and his cloned bodyguards, eager to complete their own task of brutalizing or outright killing the man. While one of the melee combatants was focused on Maru, Azuki took her opportunity to strike, pouncing on the man with a heavy snarl and taking him to the ground. Mikio formed one more handseal and spewed an overwhelming amount of sludgy brown liquid from her mouth, covering the other melee combatant from head to toe in rapidly-hardening clay and effectively immobilizing him—but occupied as she was, Mikio didn’t see the arrows coming from the treeline in time, and took two to her left shoulder with a yelp of pain. Gima Taro -- 383

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Gima Taro]

Taro heard the kerfuffle. He heard the howls and yelps and the movements. But he was focused. He was in his zone. He had to be. They were counting on him. He had done this before. He could do it again. He just needed... The right level of focus.

Let the chakra swirl inside of you. Form it together, into nature chakra- Not too much, not too little. Combine inside of yourself the multiple elements, before letting it expand once again... But don't let it overwhelming consume you.

Eyes open. It had been a minute or two, as he slowly stood up from the forest floor. He felt it- He had... Energy. He had achieved his goal. His body was softer now- More flexible, more easily malleable. Whiskers on his face, elongated ears and much longer, slender hands.

It wasn't perfect, but he felt... Like he had accomplished this much. He grabbed his gear with relative ease and silence- In fact, it seemed as though every movement he made was silent. And more so then that? It was as though his Chakra signature had all but lowered to nothing.

Taro had obtained one of the key tenants of the Rats- Stealth. Unseen, unheard, unsensed, while the Rat did not have the strength of other animals or the speed of some, none could move as quietly as the wily rat.

Which is why when he made his way through the woods, trying to get to his allies, he was all the more silent. They needed his help...

He just hoped he'd get there in time. After all, it took a few minutes to get this far... And he wasn't sure how long it'd last.

[miyake mikio]

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED Two archers in the treeline laying down an oppressive covering fire to defend the two melee combatants entangled with Mikio, Maru, and Azuki, while the other two melee combatants took off in hot pursuit after Mikio’s clones and the inventor they were trying to protect. Two arrows were buried deep in her left shoulder, too deep for her to safely yank them out without risking hurting herself further; she broke the shafts as close to the skin as she dared, tossing them aside before doing the same for the arrow in Maru’s flank. One of the people who attacked her was immobilized, locked up in hard mud; Azuki had ripped out the throat of the other, wet blood and bits of trachea dotting her graying muzzle like an abstract art piece. Barely a moment’s reprieve, then back to work—but where to focus? Ta-ko was still doing his sitting-very-still thing, which left the girl and her cats to their own devices, at least temporarily. The archers were a danger, but Inventor-san only had shadow clones to protect him. If they poofed, he was done for. "Azuki, distract the archers!” Mikio hollered, then took off sprinting down the road towards Inventor-san and her two clones, Maru close at her heels even with his limp. She whipped through ten handseals, and with a puff of smoke Maru was gone. Mikio looked more catlike, somehow—her pupils slitted, her teeth sharper, her fingernails sharpened into long claws, blood soaking through her shirt where it wept from her arrow wounds. She ran faster now, but it would still take her a little time to catch up with Inventor-san. Hopefully she wasn’t too late. One of her clones had already been dissipated, while the other was doing a marvelous job of fending off attacks using Mikio’s sparkly umbrella as an improvised weapon; but it was clear that the second clone wouldn’t be able to hold out without poofing for much longer. If neither Taro nor Mikio intervened soon, then Inventor-san was at serious risk of getting captured, or worse! Gima Taro -- 332

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Gima Taro]

Gear on. Mind focused. Body fluid, like water. Taro shot cable after cable as he rapidly ascended into the trees, darting out and back onto the path where he could get a good look at the battlefield. Things felt a bit slower- Easier for him to understand. Mikio had been injured, as had her animals. That...

That was upsetting. His eyes darted sharply up towards the threat that had caused this pain. Archers in the treeline. Calm... He took further gauge of his surroundings. Two were on the inventor. Right. Mimi could handle herself- If he spent all of his time working to protect her, the inventor would fall, and the mission would fail. He had to analyze the targets in real time and come up with a plan.

A spool slammed into the trees as he rocketed himself forward, coming in like a silent shuriken from the dark as he quietly fell onto the ground behind both figures. They were distracted, perfect. Both hands grabbed his blade, before he swung it in an arc at the first opponents rear- Using the advantage of him being distracted as a perfect chance for a strike. For all they knew, Mimi was alone, right?

By the time the first man would be able to either respond or be cut down by the razor sharp weapon, it was already coming down in a second stroke against the second opponent. This was a surprise attack, aimed to take out his opponents fast and brutally- Just like Mimi, Taro wasn't afraid of getting a little bloody. On the contrary, if he was lucky, the shock value of the rather brutal blows he was going for would hopefully cause their other opponents to hesitate.

SPOILER: Click to show

Using Super Imperfect Unfortunate Lame-o Sage-Mode for MAXIMUM STEALTH.


NAME: Subakage-ryū: Shinko Tsubaseki [New Shadow Style: Rising Swallow Chaser]

RANK: D

CHAKRA USAGE: Low

CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu

ELEMENT: N/A

HANDSEALS: N/A

REQUIREMENT: N/A

DESCRIPTION:
This two-part attack strikes with one or two hands holding their sword. It requires a diagonal strike, generally from shoulder to hip, but can be performed from hip to shoulder. The first strike is anticipated to miss, but may not.

Once the first strike completes, the Murahira uses both hands to turn their blade and steps in to attack, bringing the sword back up roughly along the same path it took initially. This technique is designed to catch an opponent between their own block and strike, or with their guard down after they dodge the first attack.

[miyake mikio]

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED Azuki, slickly lethal, was keeping the archers occupied, twisting and batting at the two enemies while doing her best to keep from getting herself shot. It was a game she was more than comfortable playing, accustomed as she was to Mikio’s bait-and-switch tactics, but even experienced as she was, she wouldn’t have been able to hold out for much longer without Taro’s timely intervention. An arrow grazed the side of Azuki’s head, clipping her ear and temple, but in the moment between the draw of the bowstring and the loose of the arrow the archer in question was brutally cut down by the swing of Taro’s blade. Azuki visibly flinched as blood splattered across her face; even she hadn’t noticed Taro coming. The archers were dealt with in a matter of seconds. One of the bandits cut down Mikio’s umbrella-wielding clone, its sparkly presence dissipating in a poof of smoke as its chakra rejoined with Mikio’s. The other bandit was distracted by the bloody sight at the treeline, dazed for a moment as he watched their comrades brutally cut down out of nowhere. "She’s not alone!” the bandit hollered at his companion, shaking himself from his daze and re-joining the fray. Mikio was locked in combat with the bandit who had dissipated her clone, hissing and spitting as she forced chakra into her metal claws, sharpening and strengthening the blades; but her focus was split, wrangling both bandits at once while trying to bodily defend Inventor-san. She and the bandit had traded a few blows; a bruise was blossoming on Mikio’s cheek while blood wept freely down the bandit’s bicep and thigh, but neither of them had truly yet come out on top in the fight. While Inventor-san was still vulnerable, she could not truly focus on taking out their enemies, instead dedicating herself to fighting defensively. Azuki grumbled at Taro and turned to chase after Mikio and Inventor-san, glancing once over her shoulder to make sure that Taro was obeying her will, and following behind. Gima Taro -- 338

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Gima Taro]

Taro smirked as his gambit had paid off. A brief moment of hesitation- Though not enough it seemed, as the bandit went right back to work jumping into combat. Right. Calm your mind, think... What would be the next thing to do in this situation...

Time felt as though it slowed down. Was this another perk of the Rat? One had to imagine so. Rats and other smaller animals often had much faster metabolism rates than their contemporary partners, often causing them to perceive things and process them more quickly. Of course, this was an ability with its own downside- Rapid increases in metabolism meant a much faster rate of drain in terms of non-chakra based energy, and the human body wasn't quite made for that kind of strain.

Still. It was as if things were moving in slow motion for Taro as he leapt up into the air, twisting around as he shot one of his hooks...

Directly into the side of the neck of one poor bandit who had decided his best target was Taro's friend. This was a rather... Brutal, attack, but one he deemed necessary. Again- He was hoping the blood spray, the screaming, the choking- All of it would cause a visceral reaction to the other foe, hopefully giving Mimi and Azuki the window they needed to go in for the kill.

Regardless, Taro himself was rapidly approaching his 'necked' target, pulling along his own line to force him towards the Rat-Warrior. Both blades out, and both blades arced forward- The razor sharp edges, while not great for blade clashing or defense, were disgustingly brutal on the offense, able to slice through bone, sinew and muscle like scissors through paper.

Were he fortunate, his foe would now be in four pieces rather than one- And potentially soaking everyone nearby in a ludicrous amount of blood.

...Someone should really teach this guy about restraint.

[miyake mikio]

CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED Blood splattered in a gorey spray across Mikio’s face and hair and clothes as one of Taro’s hooks from his fancy flying machine shot directly into a bandit’s throat. He was surely already dead or soon-to-be, but apparently that wasn’t good enough for Taro, who dragged the man with the retracting line of the machine to chop him up into little pieces. It made Mikio think of the way that kitties liked to play with their food—tormenting them for as long as possible for their own entertainment before growing bored of games and beginning the meal. The shock of the moment had dazzled Mikio and stunned the final remaining foe; while Mikio was slower to act than she should’ve been, Azuki was ready to go, and she took advantage of the opening that Taro had provided to bowl the final bandit over, knocking him into Mikio’s line of sight. Jerked back into the present, Mikio lashed out with her chakra-augmented claws, thrusting through the guy’s chest and clear through to the other side of his ribcage—and with that, the man sputtering and dying a slow and painful death on the blood-soaked ground, their enemies had been dealt with. She let the transformation technique go, Maru reappearing at her side in a puff of smoke; she gave Maru her waterskin and said, "Maru, Azuki, please look after Inventor-san and make sure he drinks some water, okay?” She herself turned to race after Taro and his cubed bandit-prey, cupping her bloodied hands around her mouth and hollering, "Ta-ko, be careful!!! Don’t turn into stone!!!” Gima Taro -- 262

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Gima Taro]

Cubed indeed. Perhaps that was a bit much, but in a way, it was rather a mercy. Taro had sliced through his opponent like butter, rather than allowing them to bleed out slowly. Quick and clean. Though, others might not see it that way. He slowly turned towards Mikio, who was now chasing after him.

"Ah- Mimi...?" Ah... The overusage- Right- Don't let it... Overtake you. He released the nature chakra inside of him, but it was close- Had he kept up this tune any longer, he would likely have not survived. Still, the strain of using it, plus the strain of the fight overall, left him rather weak.

He was still a novice with his abilities, after all. He collapsed to one knee in front of the chunks of person, rain unable to wash away the sheer volume of blood that splattered his flesh.

"Urgh... T-Thanks..." The reminder... Right. Taro was just glad that Mimi was safe, as were the inventor. He looked over her Animals who had taken shots, as well as Mimi herself, who seemed to be oozing some blood from her shoulder.

Grasping at his cloak, he searched around for his medical supplies.

"Get... Get over here. You're bleeding like crazy..." He growled at the woman, ignoring his own fatigue and energy drain to try and see if he could help out his poor ally.