[Fukase Narihira]

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_{Saigo Shigeo | Sprinkles
1/10}

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[attr="class","lightbluetext"]The first light of dawn painted the skies in hues of pink and gold as Narihira leaned casually against the aged stone wall that marked the edge of Fake Takigakure. With Hisuiyuri propped against his shoulder, the young shinobi squinted into the rising sun, his pale amber eyes scanning the path that led into the village. They were supposed to meet here at sunrise, and Shigeo was, hopefully, bound to appear any minute now.

Narihira's mind was a whirl as he thought about their upcoming mission. The locals of a nearby village had been sending frantic messages about a demon that haunted their nights, causing mischief and terror. The tales were ripe with the exaggerated fear of those who believed too readily in old folklore.

Narihira, raised amidst the savvy gamblers and cunning tricksters of his mother's gambling house, suspected it was nothing more than a clever ruse by someone with too much time on their hands. Even if, a part of him - a very, very, small part, mind you - whispered that there could be some sliver of truth to the villagers' claims.

Like, come on, the world was full of strange and unexplainable things.

Shifting his weight, Narihira drummed his fingers along the handle of Hisuiyuri, feeling the familiar grain of the spear’s handle. He was ready to debunk this mystery, put the villagers at ease, and perhaps teach a trickster a lesson or two in humility.

As he awaited Shigeo's arrival, Narihira practiced flipping a small stone in his hand. Anticipation fluttered in his chest, ready to face the thrill of the unknown, and perhaps, a bit of excitement at the prospect of maybe facing something truly supernatural.

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[PTab=Items]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]01 | Hisuiyuri

Life Blade Chakra
As all Life Blades, Hisuiyuri absorbs Nari's chakra continuously as he carries it around, stacking up a decent amount of chakra inside of itself equal to half its wielder's chakra pool. The chakra becomes Hisuiyuri's and cannot be accessed by anyone other than the spear, allowing it to have the ability to self-repair small nicks and scratches it may obtain during combat.

It also allows Hisuiyuri to have its own built-in security in case someone other than Nari grabs onto it. Using its futon chakra, sharp blades of wind will strike at the stranger's hands and arms until they release the spear. These gouges are minor cuts but they do sting quite a bit if they manage to hit skin.

When entering combat, Hisuiyuri will use its own stores to fuel its abilities until it runs out and then will begin taking from Narihira. Thanks to his deeper-than-average chakra pools the wielder and weapon are able to go for a decent length of time-fighting in that state, but eventually, it will cause Nari to lose consciousness if the spear takes too much chakra.

Flying Jades
Using its natural affinity to fūton, Hisuiyuri is able to detach the six small jade points that line the sides of its spearhead and allow them to hover. By sacrificing the shredding ability the points usually grant the spear, Narihira is able to fire them off either one-by-one or all at once towards his opponents.

At it's current skill level, Hisuiyuri's points move at a speed slightly quicker than a regular thrown kunai, due to being powered by fūton chakra and Narihira's able to control the path the points take up to 30m.

01 | Mesh Armour Shirt

Wind Repulsion [Conductive]
To properly use this armour, the user needs to have access to Wind Release. When wearing the armour, the user can channel their chakra to add a thin layer of wind covering the armour, which acts makes it harder for weapon attacks to connect, as the moving wind seeks to deflect attacks off the user [Low chakra drain per use]

Built for Shinobi
The metal alloy used to create this mesh armour shirt is strong, but that's not its main perk. The armour's weight is neglectable to the point shinobi wearing it suffer no negative impact on their agility and speed. However, due to its design, it is more effective against slashing attacks, and more vulnerable to piercing attacks.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Jutsu]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]Jutsu

lorem ipsum

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Abilities]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]『Zanjutsu』』

A young member of the scattered Araikettei Clan, Narihira has the ability to wield the strange and powerful Life Blades. He created his own Blade at a young age, under the tutelage of his mother, however, instead of making a sword as was common for the Clan members, Narihira designed his in the shape of a polearm.

Giving it the name Hisuiyuri, he began learning to properly wield it from the moment he could hold it. Due to the connection the blade shares with him, should it ever be broken, both Narihora and the blade's soul would die, so he keeps it on his person at all times and cares for it meticulously.

『Deep Chakra Pool』

Narihira was lucky to be born with a deeper-than-average chakra pool. It allows him to fight and use jutsu for longer periods of time before he tires, compared to those with average-sized chakra pools. It's especially useful for him, due to the fact that his Life Blade is constantly absorbing chakra from him. But thanks to the depth of his stores, he never feels the strain from that drain unless he has depleted the polearm's stores in combat.

『Acrodancer』

Training has granted Narihira impeccable control over his body and muscles, to the point that he appears as if he might be dancing around his opponents with ease. Whether spinning around in close combat, leaping up over an attack, or flipping out the way, Narihira's gymnastics make him a slippery foe that few have hopes of landing a hit upon.

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Crystalline

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[Saigo Shigeo]

It was good that the other guy was diligent.

Many of the Ninja he'd met so far were quirky, to say the least. At least one of them had no respect for deadlines or established meeting times, and that smacked of a lack of regard for others and their time. This Narihira fellow, at the very least, was punctual. As he closed the distance between them, Shigeo quietly thanked the powers that be for that much.

Takigakure was obscure among the Ninja villages. Lots of the clans that coalesced here were filled with outcasts and criminals. It was a haven for merchants who enjoyed dealing in less than savory wares, too- the kind who made a great deal of money profiteering off of the misfortune of others in particular. That was what brought his father here, and why they had stayed.

Opportunities aren't something you just happen to find, Shigeo. You have to make them. You're going to learn that everything you want, everything you have, someone had to work for. Don't forget that. Learn to appreciate even the small things, and you'll live a happier life for it.

His father's wisdom had long since turned to bitterness, but he held fast to those words. Tightening the bandages around his right arm, he greeted the elder boy appropriately. "Morning," he stated. "Good" or "bad" would have been too subjective, and ultimately how the day turned out was completely up to their efforts. He was pragmatic that way.

The business that brought them to the fringes of the village was, admittedly, lackluster. He was happy to finally meet another member of his Genin Team, but this sounded a lot like another round of detective work. The last couple of them had been mostly uneventful, full of running around and asking people questions. He understood why those things were important, but Shigeo wanted... just a little more excitement.

He was a Ninja, after all, not a crime solver. If any of the rumors had real substance, he would be ecstatic. Imagine fighting off a demon or tustling with an evil spirit in real life!

"Sorry if I made you wait long."

2/10

[Sprinkles]

    Most of the rumors being told, or at least the ones that were recorded, sounds ridiculous, far-fetched to say the least, but some mundane enough to be waved off as someone playing jokes. Who or whatever was messing around had been doing so just long enough not to get caught yet, but with no one even as much as being touched let alone harmed, it had been dismissed for a while now. Finally enough people had come forward with their differing tales and stories that a mission was made for someone to at least go and officially check things out, deal with it, and hopefully put an end to the rumors.

    A quiet day like most in Taki, at least in the areas where travelers and merchants either weren't allowed or simply had no reason to be, and the closer the two would get to the bamboo grove, the more quiet it would become. It was almost unnatural how the sound failed to travel at all in this part of the village, but it was easily explained with the layout of the false village and the amount of natural foliage managing to absorb much of the sound. Certainly the atmosphere managed to lend itself to this feeling of an eerie presence, as a rustling in a nearby bush might spook someone, and a lot more sound and movement among trees and bamboo would make even a grown shinobi pause and watch for a moment. There were too many people coming forward for there to be nothing going on here, but it wasn't so obvious or apparent.

    Was it in fact something mundane, or did this area attract a truly unwanted presence?

[Fukase Narihira]

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_{Saigo Shigeo | Sprinkles
4/10}

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[attr="class","lightbluetext"]As Shigeo voiced his casual greeting, Narihira flashed a grin, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. "No worries, you're just on time," he replied, pushing off the wall and grabbing Hisuiyuri firmly. He gave a tilt of his head, signaling to Shigeo to follow along after him. The bamboo grove awaited them, a whisper of adventure carried on the light morning breeze.

Together, the young shinobi ventured towards the mysterious bamboo grove. Even though Nari was a skeptic, he couldn't shake off the eerie stillness that settled over the area as they approached their destination. He listened intently, his eyes scanning the shadows between the stalks. Every rustle, every whisper of wind seemed to carry weight.

The thrill of the unknown danced at the edges of Narihira's mind. Could it be just local superstition, or was there more to this haunting than met the eye? The thought sparked excitement within him.

As they neared the heart of the bamboo grove, the atmosphere thickened, the silence deepening around them. Narihira felt a slight chill snake down his spine. "This place... It's got a vibe, doesn't it?" he murmured, half to Shigeo, half to himself. His grip on Hisuiyuri tightened slightly, ready for anything that might come their way.

"Let's keep our eyes peeled. Who knows what we'll find here."

His stance was wary, prepared for the possibility of encountering the unknown. Whether it be a mischievous spirit, a cunning human antagonist, or simply the wild imagination of the locals, Nari was ready to uncover the truth behind the eerie tales of the bamboo grove.

As they delved deeper, the quiet became almost palpable, pressing against their ears. The two shinobi moved with caution, their senses heightened to every movement, every sound that might reveal the secret of the grove.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Items]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]01 | Hisuiyuri

Life Blade Chakra
As all Life Blades, Hisuiyuri absorbs Nari's chakra continuously as he carries it around, stacking up a decent amount of chakra inside of itself equal to half its wielder's chakra pool. The chakra becomes Hisuiyuri's and cannot be accessed by anyone other than the spear, allowing it to have the ability to self-repair small nicks and scratches it may obtain during combat.

It also allows Hisuiyuri to have its own built-in security in case someone other than Nari grabs onto it. Using its futon chakra, sharp blades of wind will strike at the stranger's hands and arms until they release the spear. These gouges are minor cuts but they do sting quite a bit if they manage to hit skin.

When entering combat, Hisuiyuri will use its own stores to fuel its abilities until it runs out and then will begin taking from Narihira. Thanks to his deeper-than-average chakra pools the wielder and weapon are able to go for a decent length of time-fighting in that state, but eventually, it will cause Nari to lose consciousness if the spear takes too much chakra.

Flying Jades
Using its natural affinity to fūton, Hisuiyuri is able to detach the six small jade points that line the sides of its spearhead and allow them to hover. By sacrificing the shredding ability the points usually grant the spear, Narihira is able to fire them off either one-by-one or all at once towards his opponents.

At it's current skill level, Hisuiyuri's points move at a speed slightly quicker than a regular thrown kunai, due to being powered by fūton chakra and Narihira's able to control the path the points take up to 30m.

01 | Mesh Armour Shirt

Wind Repulsion [Conductive]
To properly use this armour, the user needs to have access to Wind Release. When wearing the armour, the user can channel their chakra to add a thin layer of wind covering the armour, which acts makes it harder for weapon attacks to connect, as the moving wind seeks to deflect attacks off the user [Low chakra drain per use]

Built for Shinobi
The metal alloy used to create this mesh armour shirt is strong, but that's not its main perk. The armour's weight is neglectable to the point shinobi wearing it suffer no negative impact on their agility and speed. However, due to its design, it is more effective against slashing attacks, and more vulnerable to piercing attacks.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Jutsu]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]Jutsu

lorem ipsum

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Abilities]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]『Zanjutsu』』

A young member of the scattered Araikettei Clan, Narihira has the ability to wield the strange and powerful Life Blades. He created his own Blade at a young age, under the tutelage of his mother, however, instead of making a sword as was common for the Clan members, Narihira designed his in the shape of a polearm.

Giving it the name Hisuiyuri, he began learning to properly wield it from the moment he could hold it. Due to the connection the blade shares with him, should it ever be broken, both Narihora and the blade's soul would die, so he keeps it on his person at all times and cares for it meticulously.

『Deep Chakra Pool』

Narihira was lucky to be born with a deeper-than-average chakra pool. It allows him to fight and use jutsu for longer periods of time before he tires, compared to those with average-sized chakra pools. It's especially useful for him, due to the fact that his Life Blade is constantly absorbing chakra from him. But thanks to the depth of his stores, he never feels the strain from that drain unless he has depleted the polearm's stores in combat.

『Acrodancer』

Training has granted Narihira impeccable control over his body and muscles, to the point that he appears as if he might be dancing around his opponents with ease. Whether spinning around in close combat, leaping up over an attack, or flipping out the way, Narihira's gymnastics make him a slippery foe that few have hopes of landing a hit upon.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[/PTabbedContent={background:transparent;border:0px;width:80%;}]

Crystalline

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[Saigo Shigeo]

Shigeo nodded slowly as Narihira mentioned that the place felt off. It certainly felt like it was supposed to, at least. The younger man was a skeptic toward all things that seemed to have no explanation rooted in logic, largely because he believed that everything had a logical explanation. "Sure seems like we're supposed to think so," he asserted, largely to clue the other boy into the fact that he hadn't yet bought what was being sold.

When the Spearman mentioned that they should keep both eyes open, Shigeo could only agree silently. No point in responding to everything the other guy said. Especially when they seemed to be on the same page.

The way that the wind shifted in the Grove could easily be attributed to the way that various brush and plants were situated, the direction of the wind, and the position of the Grove relative to things that might shelter in from the elements. That was something that gave the younger man pause. There was no reason that the wind should have been able to blow directly through this particular copse of bamboo. Any sound that did come from the foliage had to be made by an animal, or a human being... or the workings of one or the other.

Since obviously, haunted Forestral areas were a farce. Right?

Shigeo glanced sidelong at Narihira as they came to a halt, surrounded on all sides by tall shoots of bamboo. Still no wind. His hand gravitated toward the holster at his hip where his shuriken and kunai rested, not so much unnerved as prepared for something to happen.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

5/10

[Sprinkles]

    For all that there perhaps should have been wind here, it certainly sounded like there was wind blowing through. For all that there shouldn't have been wind, that chilling breeze far colder than the air in this part of the world let alone part of the village certainly gripped their spines. For all of the talk of some sort of otherworldly creatures, it was at least unusual that chilling wind, and to the extent that it was picking up, almost as if it was targeted at the two. The bamboo barely moved let alone blowing to the extent it felt against their skin, but there was no visible direction that it was coming from.

    To the right of them, there was a voice, or was it simply the wind again? And given that they weren't both facing the exact same direction, why was it coming from exactly the right side of them both near simultaneously? Once more the same noise, but if it was a voice, it wasn't a clear one, or a coherent one. Once more, that chill, but now it was almost painful, and from the feeling of it, it did seem to be coming from deeper within the area they were standing, yet again, nothing seemed to move to indicate it was in fact wind, yet how else would they explain the feel and the chill of the wind, or the sound it was making? Whatever it really was, something was off, and perhaps this was a large part of the uncomfortable feelings people got coming here.

    

[Fukase Narihira]

[googlefont="Open Sans"]

_{Saigo Shigeo | Sprinkles
7/10}

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[attr="class","lightbluetext"]Narihira's skepticism was momentarily jarred by the unusual occurrences. The chill that slipped through the bamboo grove seemed almost deliberate. Despite his instincts telling him there was a logical explanation, the eerie atmosphere was hard to ignore.

Narihira shifted his stance, his grip on Hisuiyuri ready to move at a moment’s notice. The murmurs on the wind, too indistinct to be called voices yet too structured to be dismissed as mere breezes, prickled at his senses. "Something doesn't feel right, does it?" he whispered, almost as if speaking too loudly might provoke whatever lurked within the grove.

His eyes met Shigeo's, hoping to convey a nonverbal agreement that they needed to tread carefully. As the chilling breeze intensified, so did their alertness. Narihira’s experience in the halls of the gambling house had honed his ability to discern slight cues, to anticipate deceit and trickery. Yet, this was unlike any gambler's bluff or cheater's ploy he had ever seen before.

"Let's move deeper," he suggested, his voice low but firm. "If there's a trickster here, we'll catch them. If it's... something else," he paused, throat clicking as he swallowed, allowing the weight of the possibility to hang in the air, "then we'll deal with that too."

Step by cautious step, they moved further into the heart of the bamboo grove. The peculiar stillness of the air around them contrasted sharply with the chilling gusts that seemed to come from nowhere. Narihira's mind raced, trying to piece together the logical explanations, yet the visceral feel of the grove's atmosphere was unsettling.

As they ventured deeper, the grove seemed to close in around them, the bamboo stalks towering over the two genin. Another whisper of wind, closer this time, sent a shiver down Narihira's spine. The cold was almost tangible, unheard of in Bonchi, a presence in itself that seemed to breathe along with the grove.

"Did you hear that?" Narihira halted, tilting his head, trying to pinpoint the source of the soft, almost pleading murmur that seemed to echo from the depths of the grove. His hand tightened around Hisuiyuri, two jades detaching from the spear to hover by his head, ready for whatever might emerge from the shadows.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Items]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]01 | Hisuiyuri

Life Blade Chakra
As all Life Blades, Hisuiyuri absorbs Nari's chakra continuously as he carries it around, stacking up a decent amount of chakra inside of itself equal to half its wielder's chakra pool. The chakra becomes Hisuiyuri's and cannot be accessed by anyone other than the spear, allowing it to have the ability to self-repair small nicks and scratches it may obtain during combat.

It also allows Hisuiyuri to have its own built-in security in case someone other than Nari grabs onto it. Using its futon chakra, sharp blades of wind will strike at the stranger's hands and arms until they release the spear. These gouges are minor cuts but they do sting quite a bit if they manage to hit skin.

When entering combat, Hisuiyuri will use its own stores to fuel its abilities until it runs out and then will begin taking from Narihira. Thanks to his deeper-than-average chakra pools the wielder and weapon are able to go for a decent length of time-fighting in that state, but eventually, it will cause Nari to lose consciousness if the spear takes too much chakra.

Flying Jades
Using its natural affinity to fūton, Hisuiyuri is able to detach the six small jade points that line the sides of its spearhead and allow them to hover. By sacrificing the shredding ability the points usually grant the spear, Narihira is able to fire them off either one-by-one or all at once towards his opponents.

At it's current skill level, Hisuiyuri's points move at a speed slightly quicker than a regular thrown kunai, due to being powered by fūton chakra and Narihira's able to control the path the points take up to 30m.

01 | Mesh Armour Shirt

Wind Repulsion [Conductive]
To properly use this armour, the user needs to have access to Wind Release. When wearing the armour, the user can channel their chakra to add a thin layer of wind covering the armour, which acts makes it harder for weapon attacks to connect, as the moving wind seeks to deflect attacks off the user [Low chakra drain per use]

Built for Shinobi
The metal alloy used to create this mesh armour shirt is strong, but that's not its main perk. The armour's weight is neglectable to the point shinobi wearing it suffer no negative impact on their agility and speed. However, due to its design, it is more effective against slashing attacks, and more vulnerable to piercing attacks.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Jutsu]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]Jutsu

lorem ipsum

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Abilities]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]『Zanjutsu』』

A young member of the scattered Araikettei Clan, Narihira has the ability to wield the strange and powerful Life Blades. He created his own Blade at a young age, under the tutelage of his mother, however, instead of making a sword as was common for the Clan members, Narihira designed his in the shape of a polearm.

Giving it the name Hisuiyuri, he began learning to properly wield it from the moment he could hold it. Due to the connection the blade shares with him, should it ever be broken, both Narihora and the blade's soul would die, so he keeps it on his person at all times and cares for it meticulously.

『Deep Chakra Pool』

Narihira was lucky to be born with a deeper-than-average chakra pool. It allows him to fight and use jutsu for longer periods of time before he tires, compared to those with average-sized chakra pools. It's especially useful for him, due to the fact that his Life Blade is constantly absorbing chakra from him. But thanks to the depth of his stores, he never feels the strain from that drain unless he has depleted the polearm's stores in combat.

『Acrodancer』

Training has granted Narihira impeccable control over his body and muscles, to the point that he appears as if he might be dancing around his opponents with ease. Whether spinning around in close combat, leaping up over an attack, or flipping out the way, Narihira's gymnastics make him a slippery foe that few have hopes of landing a hit upon.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[/PTabbedContent={background:transparent;border:0px;width:80%;}]

Crystalline

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[Saigo Shigeo]

"...?"

Shigeo paused as something happened, just outside of the parameters he'd registered as "normal." What had made sense, didn't. He instinctively rested his hand on the tsuka of his katana, though he made no move to draw. His eyes skimmed his surroundings once more for anything he might have missed, perhaps something that could have been made apparent by the sudden and jarring change in atmosphere.

Dissatisfied with the unchanged state of affairs, he matched Narihira's gaze, albeit from the corner of one eye. At least neither of them thought things in the Grove were totally copasetic, he supposed. The elder youth quickly changed gears, suggesting that if someone- or something- were at fault, they would deal with it. "Right," he agreed, a muffled growl from beneath his bandaged mouth.

When the strange wind wafted over again, Shigeo's eyes shifted toward the direction it came from. Again, he was met with no visible indicators, just more thick, bunched together bamboo stalks. It was cold, to the point where it made no sense. Takigakure didn't even have a real "Winter."

Whatever it was, Shigeo did not like it. He took a step closer to Narihira, held up a hand to caution him after the man asked if he had heard the strange sound.

Shigeo made several handseals in succession, dropped to a knee, and placed his palms on the ground. Chakra bled out from his hands, centering around them as he fused his energies with the dirt and cultivated it into a new form- translating the nutrient rich, fertile, subtropical topsoil into thick, turgid, difficult to maneuver in mud straight out ahead of them approximately 5 meters. If there was something hidden, hopefully, it would find the new footing to be a detriment.

Fukase Narihira Sprinkles

8/10

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Doton: Dorotsukuru no Jutsu [Earth Release: Earth Softening Technique]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Doton
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION:
Doton: Dorotsukuru is a technique that requires the user to place their palms onto an earthly substance, such as the ground or a concrete wall, forcing Doton chakra to flow into it. This allows them to manipulate it's properties, softening the earth to the point that it becomes liquefied into mud. This move can only transform up to about a 30 meter diameter with the user's palms as the starting point, and if used to change the ground terrain, the thick mud could end up becoming a field hazard that is quite difficult to walk through.

[Sprinkles]

    If someone was there, they didn't seem phased by them moving closer, or deeper into the area, or at least not in any way that was sensed by either of the two. The longer they stayed, the more they both would have realized it wasn't just cold chills that shouldn't be there, or whispers of words with no real meaning, but the grove itself was off. Subtle at first, but the bamboo was becoming more dense, key word becoming, as if the bamboo had grown thicker, more of them in places they wouldn't normally grow this close together, and the more they stepped the harder it was to take the next one.

    Every time they would stop however, there seemed to be the same patch of grass beneath their feet, the same space right around them, but any time they tried moving forward it was dense, and more so than the last time. Narihira seemed to be looking around more than acting, and the whispering wind would be just a bit louder, yet still they wouldn't be able to make out the words, and the wind was in fact significantly colder. Shigeo was taking a more active approach and going as far as to use a jutsu, and it did just as it was supposed to do, but nothing else seemed to have gotten the memo.

The moment Shigeo would try and stand up straight again, both he and Narihira at the same moment would notice they were actually standing where they started. There was a mostly clear area behind and around them, but the bamboo grove was in front of them, nothing different than the ground changing from Shigeo's jutsu. The cold was gone, the wind was gone, but something else was there that wasn't before. The wind seemed to take a shape, but just barely, in a bit of a square shape, a white color that they could both see right through. As it moved from the bamboo, closer to them, it was taking more of a shape, the upper body of a human perhaps, though the details were hazy at best.

    In a near instant movement it moved towards them both, and as if hitting an invisible barrier in front of them, it stopped and looked to dissipate against its will and was gone. No more noises, no more wind, no more cold, just them standing and staring at the bamboo grove. Was this a strange jutsu to trick them? Had someone cast a Genjutsu? Perhaps they had both witnessed something that so few had or would. If this was nothing more than someone playing tricks, than the best they could do was report it as such, but if this was in fact something supernatural, then it was far above their figurative pay grade.

[Fukase Narihira]

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_{Saigo Shigeo | Sprinkles
10/10}

[PTabbedContent]

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[attr="class","lightbluetext"]No, Narihira did not yelp when the weird apparition swooped towards him. He was nineteen years old, almost a chūnin. He did not yelp at a possible ghost possibly touching him. (He most certainly did.)

In the eerie silence that fell after the spectral apparition vanished, Narihira and Shigeo exchanged a glance. This bizarre encounter was leaving them with more questions than answers. The grove seemed to return to its normal state, as if the supernatural occurrences were nothing more than a fleeting dream.

Narihira finally broke the silence.

"Well," he cleared his throat as his voice cracked, "that was... unusual. Did you see that too?" he asked Shigeo, needing confirmation that he wasn't the only one who had witnessed the strange phenomena.

The strange, chilling breeze, the whisper-like murmurs, and now this spectral apparition that seemed almost human - it was a concatenation of events that defied simple explanation. Narihira, ingrained with skepticism of the unverified, found himself grappling with the possibility of something genuinely unworldly.

"Whatever that was, it wasn't just wind or a trick of the light," Narihira murmured.

He glanced at Shigeo, trying to gauge the other genin’s reaction. "We might actually have something... real here."

The air felt different now, as if the apparition's brief appearance had changed something in the grove's atmosphere. The earlier oppressive chill had dissipated as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving a lingering curiosity in its wake.

Stepping forward, Narihira used the toe of his boot to carve an "X" into the dirt to mark the spot the apparition had appeared to come from. "This could be some sort of genjutsu I’m not familiar with. Maybe."

He could try to use Kai, but with everything appearing normal at the moment, it seemed premature. Instead, he let four of the jades loose from Hisuiyuri and sent them out in the four cardinal directions. If there was anything hidden out in the grove nearby, the stone daggers would sus them out.

Narihira took another look around the grove, the mystery of it niggling at the back of his mind. The encounter had opened a door to possibilities he had never seriously considered before. The thought was both unsettling and exhilarating.

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[PTab=Items]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]01 | Hisuiyuri

Life Blade Chakra
As all Life Blades, Hisuiyuri absorbs Nari's chakra continuously as he carries it around, stacking up a decent amount of chakra inside of itself equal to half its wielder's chakra pool. The chakra becomes Hisuiyuri's and cannot be accessed by anyone other than the spear, allowing it to have the ability to self-repair small nicks and scratches it may obtain during combat.

It also allows Hisuiyuri to have its own built-in security in case someone other than Nari grabs onto it. Using its futon chakra, sharp blades of wind will strike at the stranger's hands and arms until they release the spear. These gouges are minor cuts but they do sting quite a bit if they manage to hit skin.

When entering combat, Hisuiyuri will use its own stores to fuel its abilities until it runs out and then will begin taking from Narihira. Thanks to his deeper-than-average chakra pools the wielder and weapon are able to go for a decent length of time-fighting in that state, but eventually, it will cause Nari to lose consciousness if the spear takes too much chakra.

Flying Jades
Using its natural affinity to fūton, Hisuiyuri is able to detach the six small jade points that line the sides of its spearhead and allow them to hover. By sacrificing the shredding ability the points usually grant the spear, Narihira is able to fire them off either one-by-one or all at once towards his opponents.

At it's current skill level, Hisuiyuri's points move at a speed slightly quicker than a regular thrown kunai, due to being powered by fūton chakra and Narihira's able to control the path the points take up to 30m.

01 | Mesh Armour Shirt

Wind Repulsion [Conductive]
To properly use this armour, the user needs to have access to Wind Release. When wearing the armour, the user can channel their chakra to add a thin layer of wind covering the armour, which acts makes it harder for weapon attacks to connect, as the moving wind seeks to deflect attacks off the user [Low chakra drain per use]

Built for Shinobi
The metal alloy used to create this mesh armour shirt is strong, but that's not its main perk. The armour's weight is neglectable to the point shinobi wearing it suffer no negative impact on their agility and speed. However, due to its design, it is more effective against slashing attacks, and more vulnerable to piercing attacks.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Jutsu]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]Jutsu

lorem ipsum

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Abilities]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]『Zanjutsu』』

A young member of the scattered Araikettei Clan, Narihira has the ability to wield the strange and powerful Life Blades. He created his own Blade at a young age, under the tutelage of his mother, however, instead of making a sword as was common for the Clan members, Narihira designed his in the shape of a polearm.

Giving it the name Hisuiyuri, he began learning to properly wield it from the moment he could hold it. Due to the connection the blade shares with him, should it ever be broken, both Narihora and the blade's soul would die, so he keeps it on his person at all times and cares for it meticulously.

『Deep Chakra Pool』

Narihira was lucky to be born with a deeper-than-average chakra pool. It allows him to fight and use jutsu for longer periods of time before he tires, compared to those with average-sized chakra pools. It's especially useful for him, due to the fact that his Life Blade is constantly absorbing chakra from him. But thanks to the depth of his stores, he never feels the strain from that drain unless he has depleted the polearm's stores in combat.

『Acrodancer』

Training has granted Narihira impeccable control over his body and muscles, to the point that he appears as if he might be dancing around his opponents with ease. Whether spinning around in close combat, leaping up over an attack, or flipping out the way, Narihira's gymnastics make him a slippery foe that few have hopes of landing a hit upon.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

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Crystalline

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[Saigo Shigeo]

"That was..." Shigeo furrowed his brow as he replayed the strange events back in his mind, still reeling from the sudden and unexpected... shape? His reaction was far less verbal, more tension. Shigeo's body had coiled when the thing surged toward him, reacting entirely on instinct. He could still feel the adrenaline pumping.

He did his best to catch his breath as he continued his thought. There hadn't been time to throw himself out of harm's way, nor any specific need. The urge was enough, though. His lack of action created a discomfort, the anxiety and irrational fear that he hadn't done nearly enough. That something might capitalize on his failure.

"...I'm not sure," he finished at last, shaking his head. "Real is definitely subjective, here. Someone or something is definitely messing with things."

That much, at least, was certain.

"It's shifting us around like we're in a box and it can reorient our positions at will," he noted. Gesturing toward the ground his jutsu had rendered to mud, he added, "but it can't change everything. The ground is still effected by my Doton. If its a genjutsu, its probably playing with our perception of the bamboo, or something else around us. Admittedly, my knowledge of Genjutsu is meager at best, so I can't say if that's a thing or not."

[Sprinkles]

    The mud was still mud, the bamboo was still bamboo, and they were both still standing there standing in mud and staring in the distance, likely highly paranoid at this point. If they had a good reason to be was debatable, but them having experienced something unnerving was certainly not up for any debate. Nothing could be sensed, if they even had the ability to see chakra, aside from what they themselves were using, it wouldn't have been clear anything was ever there. Whatever jutsu might have been used had now dissipated to a degree it wasn't impacting anything, including the Genin. For now, it was quiet, eerily so, but not any more or less than it usually was here.

    The longer they stood, the only thing that changed was the position of the sun in the sky, the light overhead, and the casting of the shadows shifting directions. Nothing stirred that shouldn't have stirred, nothing moved that wasn't supposed to, and nothing out of the ordinary was seen or sensed for as long as they stood there looking around. It was as if nothing had happened here ever, let alone in the last few hours, and certainly no obvious evidence that either of them could pick up. For now, the mystery would simply have to stay a mystery, leaving them with questions they likely had never even thought to ask themselves.

    Certainly it wouldn't be a satisfactory ending to what had just happened, leaving them standing and confused, but things in the shinobi world didn't always have satisfactory conclusions.

[Fukase Narihira]

[googlefont="Open Sans"]

_{Saigo Shigeo | Sprinkles
13/10}

[PTabbedContent]

[PTab=Post]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]Narihira finally exhaled a long, slow breath, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly as the bamboo grove around them settled into an unassuming quiet, betraying no hints of the recent supernatural events. The jades returned from their path into the tall stems, reattaching to the spear, nothing on them to indicate they had run into anything except plants. His gaze swept the grove again, a slight frown creasing his brow as he turned back to Shigeo.

"Seems like whatever was messing with us has decided to take a break," he commented dryly, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth despite the unresolved tension. "Or maybe it's just biding its time."

He adjusted the grip on Hisuiyuri, the familiar weight of the spear grounding him back to reality. "I think we've done what we can here for now. We should report back. There's nothing tangible we can bring to the village except our experiences, which... well, they might chalk up to the overactive imagination of young shinobi."

Narihira's voice held a hint of reluctance and he stuck his tongue out at the thought. The mystery of the bamboo grove nagged at him, a puzzle that teased the edges of his mind. He wanted answers, yet the grove offered none, just whispers of possibilities and half-glimpsed shadows.

"But I want to come back here someday soon," he added, determination sparking in his amber eyes. "There’s something off about this place, and I’m not one to leave a challenge unanswered. Maybe with more preparation and experience, we can really figure out what's going on."

Turning to face Shigeo, Narihira's expression was serious, his usual playful demeanor subdued. "What do you think? If I gather more evidence, maybe do some research into genjutsu or local legends, I might get a better understanding. Could be worth another look, right?"

With that, Narihira started towards the edge of the grove, signaling Shigeo to follow. The weight of the unresolved mystery pressed against his thoughts, but there was also excitement - a challenge to his skills and perhaps a chance to uncover something truly extraordinary.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Items]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]01 | Hisuiyuri

Life Blade Chakra
As all Life Blades, Hisuiyuri absorbs Nari's chakra continuously as he carries it around, stacking up a decent amount of chakra inside of itself equal to half its wielder's chakra pool. The chakra becomes Hisuiyuri's and cannot be accessed by anyone other than the spear, allowing it to have the ability to self-repair small nicks and scratches it may obtain during combat.

It also allows Hisuiyuri to have its own built-in security in case someone other than Nari grabs onto it. Using its futon chakra, sharp blades of wind will strike at the stranger's hands and arms until they release the spear. These gouges are minor cuts but they do sting quite a bit if they manage to hit skin.

When entering combat, Hisuiyuri will use its own stores to fuel its abilities until it runs out and then will begin taking from Narihira. Thanks to his deeper-than-average chakra pools the wielder and weapon are able to go for a decent length of time-fighting in that state, but eventually, it will cause Nari to lose consciousness if the spear takes too much chakra.

Flying Jades
Using its natural affinity to fūton, Hisuiyuri is able to detach the six small jade points that line the sides of its spearhead and allow them to hover. By sacrificing the shredding ability the points usually grant the spear, Narihira is able to fire them off either one-by-one or all at once towards his opponents.

At it's current skill level, Hisuiyuri's points move at a speed slightly quicker than a regular thrown kunai, due to being powered by fūton chakra and Narihira's able to control the path the points take up to 30m.

01 | Mesh Armour Shirt

Wind Repulsion [Conductive]
To properly use this armour, the user needs to have access to Wind Release. When wearing the armour, the user can channel their chakra to add a thin layer of wind covering the armour, which acts makes it harder for weapon attacks to connect, as the moving wind seeks to deflect attacks off the user [Low chakra drain per use]

Built for Shinobi
The metal alloy used to create this mesh armour shirt is strong, but that's not its main perk. The armour's weight is neglectable to the point shinobi wearing it suffer no negative impact on their agility and speed. However, due to its design, it is more effective against slashing attacks, and more vulnerable to piercing attacks.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Jutsu]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]Jutsu

lorem ipsum

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[PTab=Abilities]

[attr="class","lightbluetext"]『Zanjutsu』』

A young member of the scattered Araikettei Clan, Narihira has the ability to wield the strange and powerful Life Blades. He created his own Blade at a young age, under the tutelage of his mother, however, instead of making a sword as was common for the Clan members, Narihira designed his in the shape of a polearm.

Giving it the name Hisuiyuri, he began learning to properly wield it from the moment he could hold it. Due to the connection the blade shares with him, should it ever be broken, both Narihora and the blade's soul would die, so he keeps it on his person at all times and cares for it meticulously.

『Deep Chakra Pool』

Narihira was lucky to be born with a deeper-than-average chakra pool. It allows him to fight and use jutsu for longer periods of time before he tires, compared to those with average-sized chakra pools. It's especially useful for him, due to the fact that his Life Blade is constantly absorbing chakra from him. But thanks to the depth of his stores, he never feels the strain from that drain unless he has depleted the polearm's stores in combat.

『Acrodancer』

Training has granted Narihira impeccable control over his body and muscles, to the point that he appears as if he might be dancing around his opponents with ease. Whether spinning around in close combat, leaping up over an attack, or flipping out the way, Narihira's gymnastics make him a slippery foe that few have hopes of landing a hit upon.

[/PTab={width:25%;padding:25px;background:transparent;}]

[/PTabbedContent={background:transparent;border:0px;width:80%;}]

Crystalline

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[Saigo Shigeo]

He did not like it.

There were few things that genuinely unnerved Shigeo, but this situation had breached the threshold. Things that he could not explain were culminating together in a storm of unknown, seemingly unknowable events. The easy thing to do would be accept that this was paranormal, that the Grove was Haunted- but it wasn't the rational thing. It was hard to swallow empirical data that literally amounted to nothing.

"That which cannot be known." He'd heard those words before, in some book, some text. It always shook him to think that something like that wasn't just the kind of thing parents told their children to discourage them from mischief.

His eyes narrowed when Nari suggested that it might be biding its time. "If "it" is, then we definitely need to do something about it," he said. Other people had experienced strange things here, and now they had seen it firsthand.

There would doubtless be more people, more strange happenings, until someone solved the mystery. But it wasn't going to be them, not today at least.

"I need a real answer." Shigeo added, stubbornly. "This is just smoke and mirrors, and it hasn't given me anything but more questions."

Nari suggested that they look into Genjutsu more, and honestly, that didn't sound like a terrible idea. "It might be a good excuse to delve more into that sort of thing in training," Shigeo suggested. "My dad's a merchant and he deals a lot with the locals, the gossip, the news- if you want, I can focus on the occult side of things so you can prioritize the Genjutsu portion."

Fukase Narihira Sprinkles

[Sprinkles]

    For now there was nothing else for the two to do here, as no matter how long they would stand and wait, try and search for clues, or even try and sense, nothing was any different than when they first showed up. Given the clues they had to gather it was likely they had been caught in some type of genjutsu at some point, but was it something cast when they tried entering or did something or someone cast it on them. Whatever the thing was, be it an actual entity or some type of jutsu, it seemed to stop and disperse at a very specific point in front of them, almost as if there was an invisible barrier that had stopped it moving further away from the grove.

    It was up to them and their memories if they'd remember or notice any of this in time, given they were clearly a bit momentarily shaken by whatever it was that had happened. As they were exchanging questioning looks and curiosities, a voice called out from behind them, as they'd turn to see one of the academy instructors from the village walking towards them.

"Are you two still finishing up your mission? I've been waiting for you two to get back for hours now."

    Arms crossed across the chest of the stout man, a stern look on his face, which was something they were likely used to by now any time they'd seen him around.

"Finish quickly and get to the mission office and get this taken care of. We are preparing to leave for Nohara no Kuni soon. Finish and go gather your things."

    Turning and leaving as quickly as he had appeared, they were left once more with themselves and whatever was lurking in the bamboo grove.