Team Rin: The Sword of the Valiant

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu blurred, disappearing once again to appear this time next to the Sand Princess as his fire-wreathed arm drove his blade at her head, hoping to split it open and rip apart what remained of her corpse around the ground. The voices in his head and his own anger encouraged this course of action.

Spoiler

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Yuu Nagase- HP 23/70 (6 Non-lethal) CP 26/40
Frenzy turn 3/7
Shikakyu no Jutsu 5/9
Speed Rank 2 5/5
AC 17

Move Action- Shundou next to Yusa (wherever she is, I should have the move with 40 feet of it depending on whether or not she passed the fort save.)- (1d20+17)[25]

Attack Action- Attack! (1d20+16)[32]
Damage- (1d10+7)[16]

Kuromaru is stable at -8 HP.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yusa

Several kunai are deflected by Yusa's quick-reacting iron sand. Three break through the iron sand defense and bounce harmlessly off her iron sand armor. Yusa just smiles at the great big burst of air and chakra about to come tearing out of Hibiki's mouth. She raises her right hand up to her chest with her index and middle finger pointing toward the ceiling. "Satetsu no Muya." A cocoon of iron sand envelopes Yusa mere seconds before the explosive burst of chakra strikes. Miraculously, the cocoon is undisturbed when the dust(and iron sand) settles. Yuu's sword and Sumie's fist connect with the iron sand cocoon and find it rather resilient.

That is, it's resilient until Yusa commands it to fall apart. The cocoon becomes a lump of useless iron sand at her feet. "You've certainly become stronger. Orochimaru hasn't given me much energy, so I guess I'll have to go all out in this next one.." A blur of hand-signs collects all the iron sand from Yusa's armor and the cocoon that had defended her into a cloud that covers most of the ceiling. "Satetsu Shigure" Hard pellets of iron sand drop into the area, smashing little holes in the rock beneath your feet. Yusa smiles. "That's not all. Satetsu no Shouakete."

The iron sand spread all across the area suddenly begins to form little hands that start grabbing at Yuu and Sumie's legs.

DM

Spoiler

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Sumie, Yuu and the two Clones caught in the area of effect suffer (2d6)[7] piercing and (2d6+2)[14] earth damage.

Sumie, Yuu and anyone who enters area where iron sand is on the ground will need Reflex Saves at DC 16 or they're considered entangled as per Sabaku Ryuu.

Damage Dealt to Yusa: Still 20
Damage Dealt to Sand Armor: Destroyed.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu grunted as the bullets of sand hit him, and he looked just about ready to drop. Surprisingly, the hits seemed to calm him as he looked around, calmer than before.

"I'm...not...done...yet!"

He swung his sword as hard as he could at the woman in front of him, still bleeding freely and heavily.

Spoiler

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HP 2/79 CP 22/40

Ongoing effects-
Shikakyu no Jutsu 6/9
Speed Rank 2 1/5
AC 16

Renzuki- DC 17-
(1d20+13)[19]

Attack 1- (1d20+9)[23]
Damage 1- (1d10+1)[8]

Attack 2- (1d20+9)[14]
Damage 2- (1d10+1)[2]

Attack 3- (1d20+4)[11]
Damage 3- (1d10+1)[7]

If I can't use Renzuki thanks to entanglement, ignore the 2nd attack roll and add 3 to the rolls for 1 and 3.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The ANBU-girl instinctually raises her hands to protect her head as the iron pellets come falling down, taking the full brunt of the assault before the iron sand begins to coil and shift under foot. Black hands reach up from the sand to clutch at her legs, holding her in place as eyes narrowed in frustration. Would the sand ever cease trying to grab her?

"Yuu-sama, can you get free?" Sumie asks calmly, though with much tenseness behind her voice. Waiting until Hibiki and his clones had attacked once more before letting chakra flood through her muscles, empowering them as she throws an off-balanced punch that falls short of Yusa.

Spoiler

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Can only go for the basic melee attack but will release up to the 4th Strength rank.

(1d20+15)[16]
Action Point: (2d6)[2][3](5)

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki's mind wanders back to the night before. Standing there in the pool of water with his sins visible in the waterfall's reflection, the daft genin felt as powerless as the Deadly Seven claimed. Watching his clones disappear so easily in the rain of black sand further proved his inept skills. He ducks his head down and his hands rush up to pull at his hair, "Wha-what's wrong with me?" Nothing seemed to come to his mind as he watched the arms of black sand inch their ways up Yuu's legs. "Why can't I help?" His hands pull tighter at his hair as he silently curses at his inability to take action; however for some reason, thoughts of the Turtle-hermit came flooding back to the useless ninja.

"Good? Bad? These are mere labels to justify the one thing that ties them together. The choice of action over inaction. Whether you are labeled as good or evil is irrelevant, but what truly matters is that you did something with the life you were given."

Slowly, Hibiki lets go of his hair and stares aimlessly forward. Is that it? It doesn't matter if we win or lose, if good triumphs? All that matters is me saving my friends, whether it be selfish or not. If only I could do something? Clones? Renku Dan? Rasengan? What do I do? There's not enough time! He grinds his teeth together and concentrates. Blue chakra spirals above his open palm and compresses into a sphere. Hibiki growls a little bit and rushes forward; he plows through the first five feet of black sand and leaps into the air to land next to Yuu with his empowered Rasengan firmly held in his hand.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the kage bunshins drew their shurikens and threw them. As the shurikens strike Yusa's hovering, iron sand, Sumie unleashed a haphazard kick that missed the undead Suna-nin. To the daft genin all of these actions froze in place, to him the world had stopped.

"Huh?"

Hibiki blinked, and then he blinked again. Everything was frozen still: the kunai's stuck in the lively sand, Sumie's kick inches off of her target, and the Suna-nin staring in Hibiki's general direction. For a fleeting moment, the genin reverted back to his old self and hit his head with his hand, "Aww, I'm broken!" He shook his head and thought about the situation in depth. Hibiki moved his hand and saw that it was still moving, "Hmm, if this is a genjutsu, then I should just act as I would and maybe my body will follow along outside of this illusion..." It seemed plausible, so the insane kid shifted his weight back and unleashed the Rasengan on the unmoving Yusa.

The concentrated ball of chakra dissipated as it touched the Suna-nin, leaving behind a confused look on Hibiki's face. With a bite of his lip, he whipped out a fist and attempted to hit Yusa. Seeing no reaction, Hibiki formed more seals with his hands and sucked in the surrounding air. The genin pumped more chakra into the jutsu than usual in fear that whatever was happening would weaken the attack. "Renku Dan!" The compressed air bullet zips past Yusa and dissipates.

Once everything was done, Hibiki waits to see what would happen next.


OOC:

Spoiler

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Hit points: 94/94 (-23)
Chakra pool: 38/78
Armour class: 24
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin 2-3 (13/600), Kage Bunshin 4-5 (3/600), Rank 2 Speed (2/5)

Round 1

After Clones Move and Attack*

Standard Action
Rasengan!
Perform(DC27): 1d20 20=32
Convert to Chakra 1:1(DC24): (1d20+16)[25]

Move Action
Move and Jump!
Move to (9,8)
Reflex Save (DC16): 1d20 8=21
Jump to (9,6) (DC10): 1d20 14=17
Second Reflex Save (DC16): 1d20 8=16


Clones
Hit points: 2:2; 3:3; 4:3; 5:3
Armour class: 17

All
Free Action
Draw Shuriken!

Attacks in Order

Clone 3
Attack: (1d20-2)[16]
Damage: (1d3+2)[5]

Clone 3
Attack: (1d20-7)[-1]
Damage: (1d3+2)[3]

Clone 2
Attack: (1d20+2)[22]
Damage: (1d3+2)[4]

Clone 2
Attack: (1d20-3)[17]
Damage: (1d3+2)[4]

Clone 4
Attack: (1d20+2)[6]
Damage: (1d3+2)[4]

Clone 4
Attack: (1d20-3)[-2]
Damage: (1d3+2)[5]

Clone 5
Attack: (1d20+2)[12]
Damage: (1d3+2)[5]

Clone 5
Attack: (1d20-3)[0]
Damage: (1d3+2)[5]

Swift Action:
Supercharged!
1d2=2

Round 2

Full-Round Action
Rasengan!

Touch Attack: (1d20+10)[21]
Action Point: (2d6b1)[6]
Damage: (10d8)[46]

Punch!
Attack: (1d20+5)[14]
Damage: (1d3+2)[4]

Round 3

Full-Round Action
Renku Dan!
Perform(DC24): 1d20 22=23
Wow...Fail, I'm so sorry Yuu.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yusa

Yuu's sword finds nothing but sand beneath it's blade just before the next wave of shuriken come in. Only two of the little black blades strike Yusa, and Sumie brings a poorly aimed kick that hits nothing but sand. Suddenly, without warning Sumie is looking straight at the real Hibiki standing in the sand beside her. She distinctly doesn't remember hearing him run up, nor does she see or hear what he did but Yusa is suddenly thrown backwards by an incredible force. Her iron sand catches her and keeps the ex suna-nin from flying too far away. "Wh--what was.. Damnit!"

Yusa raises both arms level with the ground, palms open and fingers curled like claws. "Satetsu Daisousou." In one swift movement she closes both hands and the entirety of her iron sand convulses and squeezes anything caught in it. Yuu feels the bones in his legs splinter and break under the pressure.

DM

Spoiler

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Poor Yuu. Everyone entangled by the iron sand requires a fortitude save for half of 6d6=11 damage. Yuu, regardless of success or failure, will be reduced to dying status by the attack. As such he suffers 9 strength damage and has both his legs broken as per Sabaku Sousou. His move speed is reduced to 10ft. Hopefully Rin can fix that..

Yusa's HP: 13 remaining

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The crazed genin stares as life returns to everyone who were recently inanimate. It seemed that the Rasengan he had attacked with had affected Yusa with a short delay. Hibiki opened his mouth to ask what had occurred, but before he could utter one syllable he heard the sound of bone being crushed and blood being spilt. He looks across from Sumie and sees the iron sand caving in on Yuu's legs. "No! Yuu!"

As if ordered, two of Hibiki's clones raise there hands with their index and middle fingers pointed towards the ceiling. With a quick slashing motion, both clones send a slicing air current towards the undead Suna-nin without remorse. All thoughts of saving the woman were lost as Hibiki ran to save his fallen comrade.

Once Hibiki reaches Yuu, he scrambles around his waist and panics. "Rin-sensei never bought me a kit! Dammit! Don't die! I can't let you die!" With all of his might, the crazed genin tends to the broken-legged Leaf-nin. At first he pulls Yuu's head up and rests it on his own back pack. Next, Hibiki rushes to straighten out the now deformed legs. "Uh...I need Rin-sensei."

OOC:

Spoiler

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Hit points: 94/94 (-23)
Chakra pool: 30/78
Armour class: 24
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin 2-3 (14/600), Kage Bunshin 4-5 (4/600), Rank 2 Speed (3/5)

After Clones Make their actions*

Move Action
Move!
Move to Yuu after Yusa is killed hopefully.

Standard Action
Stabilize!
Stabilize Yuu (DC15): (1d20+8)[26]


Clones
Hit points: 2:2; 3:3; 4:3; 5:3
Armour class: 17

Action Point for Chakra
(2d6b1)[4]

Double Zankidan

Clone 4
Perform(DC17): (1d20+22)[40]
Damage: (4d6+4)[18]
Reflex Save for half: 17

Clone 5
Perform(DC17): (1d20+22)[39]
Damage: (4d6+4)[27]
Reflex Save for half: 17

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Both wind blasts tear clean through Yusa. The graveyard soil maintaining her body disperses into dust which scatters under the wind-based attacks. Hibiki successfully stabilizes his companion mere moments before Rin and Garouhime arrive to a scene of utter carnage.

Spoiler

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Even if she halves both of those with the Ref Saves she's still taking enough damage to die. Yuu, Sumie and Hibiki get 2333 XP apiece

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The genin looks over the fallen Yuu and smiles once he sees a steady breathing pattern. He then places his ear next to his fellow Leaf-nin's chest and listens to a weak, but very alive heartbeat. Hibiki falls onto his back gasping for air. His eyes shift from the ceiling to Yuu, who was also lying down on the cold, black sand. His focus returns to the ceiling where he imagined how bad it could have turned out, if Hibiki didn't take action. Thank you Turtle-sama. Thank you.

Tears started pouring from the genin's eyes as he remembered the Yusa he knew before this battle. He had done the best he could to save everyone, but at the cost of her new life. Hibiki sniffs a little and sprawls out with his arms and legs. His whole body ached from the battle, more so than any other time he remembered. Was it the feeling of victory or something else?

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu didn't even get a chance to cry out as his legs snapped like dry twigs, instantly sending him into unconsciousness.

...floating...pain...what?

Yuu found himself floating in a black void, untouched by color, light, sound, or smell. He didn't know how long he had been there, only that his legs, left arm, and general body were in considerable pain. He couldn't feel anything in his right arm.

"Am I...dead?"

In the distance, a red light appeared, which quickly grew in size as it approached Yuu. Though it writhed and danced like flame, it still maintained the same general shape- that of a right arm.

It chuckled. Without mouth, eyes, or anything resembling a head, it chuckled.

"Oh no, my boyo, you're not dead yet. And you're not going to be for a loooong time if I have anything to say about it. But we need to talk, my boy. That showing was pathetic."

"What are you? The spirit of my new arm?"

The flame chuckled again.

"Good, good. You're not that dense. And the rage was good. But it needs to be more controlled, boyo. You need to focus it, channel it, use it to strike out. That's how you can gain the power you need."

"You know, I really shouldn't listen to you."

"Oh, but you will, boyo. Because you can't stand your own weakness. You need to get stronger, and utilizing me is the best way to do so. I'll be seeing you around, boyo."

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tl;dr: *bleed, bleed, bleed*

And do you know how much of a pain in the ass it is to keep track of all these different changes to my Strength score? I think I've had 6 different strength scores in the past day (gamewise)

[Valgunn]

Rin

A stutter of feet led Rin to stop within the arch of the tunnel before the remnants of her genin and Sumie. She looked over the sand, fire and wind blasted terrain and at her equally battered genin with a mixture of worry and pride. "So," she began. "You're still alive?" A coy little smile birthed itself under her gaze. "Report?"

[Catch]

Garouhime

The wolf princess arrived on her new partner's heels and, seeing that no enemy remained in the tunnel, reclined against the archway wall with a huff of disappointment. Red eyes flicked over the carnage with vague curiosity, settling on Yuu lying broken on the tiles.

"Looks like it was one of yours." she chatted impassively, picking at a fingernail. "Hope you can fix him up, otherwise you should just save him the misery."

She bounced a bone dagger from palm to palm after trimming a hangnail and cocked her head at Rin.

"I can do it if you want," she added with a casual shrug.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Yuu wasn't the only one feeling the pain when the sand crushed inward, Sumie's eyes widening seconds before the sand pushed inwards painfully on her legs, gritting her teeth to keep from calling out in pain and knowing that if this kept up then even she'd be dead soon. But then...Hibiki, of all people, saved her from the re-animated Yusa of the Sands and she could do nothing more then stare in mute surprise at the boy as the enemy shinobi crumbled away into grave dirt before her very eyes after the blinding assault.

Yuu's...predictament was worrying to Sumie but not in the same way it was to the addle-minded Hibiki. Yuu was a comrade but not a particularly close one, despite the fact she had stabbed herself in the heart to help him, and it only dully registered in her mind as Rin and the other woman joined the rest of them.

"We failed." Sumie says flatly, lowering her eyes down to the ground in angry embarrassment at the situation before continuing with the report, "Orochimaru used some...unholy jutsu to bring a woman named Yusa of the Sands back to life whom we then had to engage. She almost killed Yuu and severely wounded myself. Hibiki...dealt the 'killing' blow and saved us both."

Spoiler

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Fort save: (1d20+11)[26]

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Sumie's words stung like a barbed dagger piercing through his heart, Hibiki could only look from the ceiling down at the prone Yuu. "Saved you guys? Look at his legs. I'm not the smartest, but I know that they wa-won't heal back normally," Hibiki says out loud for Sumie and the rest to hear. "Yu-Yusa left herself open, the real her wouldn't have killed us...I-I just didn't act fast enough and..." The Leaf-nin's bottom lip quivers as he loses track of what he wanted to say.

Hibiki strains his body up; slowly and painfully, the genin manages to stand with his eyes still focused on Yuu and the pile of dirt. "I couldn't save Yusa either." Tears begin welling up once again in his eyes, emotions that he suppressed during the battle came surging out, "Th-that was true evil, ah-and I co-couldn't do anything about it." His hands curl up into tiny fists, but relax somewhat. Trying hard to hold back any more tears, Hibiki turns his head to face Rin's. His face is a mix of pain, sadness, and forced seriousness, "Wh-what do you want us to do now?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

"You aren't dead," she said quickly. "That makes it a success." Fleet feet stepped her quickly to Yuu and his mulched legs. "Sumie, you're an orderly and Hibiki, you're a nurse." Her hand shot to neck height and formed a release seal. With a flash of white smoke a surgery kit appeared beside her. Gleaming, shining and wickedly sharp instruments sat on display as she indelicately moved Yuu about.

"You," she spoke in certain terms toward Garouhime. "Do not touch him, or any of them."

"Orderly," she spoke without looking up from her student and her patient. "Hold him down." Lifting up her other hand to neck height she clasped her hands together in a ball as if praying intensely. She had no sedative and even if she did she had little time to use it. She prayed Yuu could endure. "Nurse, assist," she called to the so far untried medical-nin Hibiki had styled himself as, not to Hibiki himself.

With a single sweeping movement of her arm she held the first implement in her hand poised to begin. "Yuu, this is going to hurt, try not to move." With what little mercy she could afford given Rin began.

OOC

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Whether this works or not is a coin flip, a pure fifty-fifty chance. Since this is field surgery it'll only take 1d4 hours and hopefully restore Yuu's legs and up to 1d6+7/level (his level), that extra 7 per level is thanks to me being a medical expert.

If all goes well Yuu will be fatigued for 24 hours minus 2 hours for every point I get over the DC plus any other debilitating conditions Zero wants to heap on. No matter what though he'll be fatigued for six hours at least.

I'll want an Aid action from Hibiki as he assists. I know it's just a +2 but it's how things are done. Sumie is there to preempt any crippling penalty due to Yuu being cut into without a sedative.

Desperate Surgery!
Treat Injury (DC20; Field Surgery): (1d20+19)[34]; Action Point - (2d6b1)[4]
Time: Hours - (1d4)[2]
Hit points healed: (9d6+63)[101]

[ZeroNumerous]

Surgery

Surgery's never fun, even with knockout gas and sterile surroundings. Surgery on a dirty tile floor, surrounded by flecks of magnetized iron and without even basic painkillers even less so. None the less, about an hour into the surgery the temple shakes and rumbles. Thankfully nothing falls down, but an ominous feeling now permeates the air. As the next hour drags on the group notices that the temple has begun fading in color. The rich wooden floor, the bright red walls and even the dark wooden roof slowly fades to gray. When Rin finishes up the surgery Yuu finds his legs usable again, though it's painful to do so. Oddly, no one has come from either hallway.

Spoiler

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Yuu succeeds on the coin flip. His strength damage is gone, but he's still fatigued.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki watches and listens as Rin gives out orders the way a true leader would. He gives a confused look as she gives him the role of nurse, "Wha-what? Don't you have any jutsu for something like this?" Too late. The question goes unheard as the Uchiha begins the operation. Hibiki scrambles the remaining kage bunshins together and swarms them around the fallen Yuu. Each clone manages their best with aiding Sumie and restraining Yuu for the haphazard surgery; however no amount of clones could have prepared the daft genin for his first real experience as a medical-nin.

The first thing Hibiki saw was the blood seeping from the legs of his friend, mixing with the iron dust left in Yusa's wake. His eyes inch higher to see the scattered debris of bone that must have escaped from Yuu's body after the terrifying technique was finished. Next was Rin's hands as they dug underneath the numerous openings in the leg, scraping the protruding tibia clean of sand and iron. Hibiki turned to throw up, but controlled himself as he thought about the nearly dead Leaf-nin in their care.

After a painful hour of retrieving sharp instruments for Rin to use and gathering the fragments of bone that was buried underneath the surrounding dirt, Hibiki was finally numb to some parts of the surgery. As the temple around them faded in color, the crazed genin found it hard not to stare at the blood that had brightened in color due to the changing contrast between the objects and the place. Hibiki shook it off and saved any questions for after the field-surgery.

Once Yuu was finally set to walk, Hibiki helped his friend up. All the while, he stared around at the place and shivered. Whatever had and was happening was taking its toll on the temple; to Hibiki, he figured it was for the worst. He opened his mouth and asked, "Uh...Rin-sensei, what now?"

Spoiler

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Hibiki Aides Rin with the surgery.
Aid Another!
Treat Injury Check (DC10): (1d20+8)[26]

One Clone heals Yuu up.
Restore Hit Points!
Treat Injury Check (DC15): (1d20+12)[22]
Hit Points Recovered: (1d4+2)[4]

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu gritted his teeth and nodded.

Ye gods, how much pain do I have to go through today? Clearly someone is trying to tell me something.

Before the surgery started, though, he turned.

"What about Kuromaru?"

Laying back, he waited for the pain, trying not to look at the odd angles his legs were at.

The surgery itself was not pleasant, but compared to the agony he had undergone earlier, it was almost a tickle. Gradually pulling himself up, he leaned heavily on Hibiki's shoulder.

"Thanks. Did that Orochimaru person show up while I was out?"

Boy, I really need a good night's sleep.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"I feel I should warn you, I have absolutely no medical experience." Sumie warns, grudgingly moving to hold down Yuu during the grisly bit of surgery she was being prompted into performing. Despite her distaste with being pressed into medical duty, something she had truly not thought she'd ever do, she was able to restrain Yuu easily enough considering the other's heavily damaged state.

She also makes it a point not to look away, taking it in as it happens and not just because she wanted to see the extent of Yuu's injuries. She owed it to him not to look away and aside from that...well it might prove educational as well.

In the end it proved only marginally educational.

"...What do we do now?" Sumie asks, sitting back on the ground as her own wounds begin to knit themselves shut though it'd take much longer then the surgery on Yuu.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Releasing a long pent up breath Rin rested her hands on her kneeling legs next to Yuu. A flash of movement.

Smack!

Rin's fist collided with Yuu's face. "Moron," she said as she got up and arched her back. Yuu was near-dead but everyone else seemed almost unhurt, apart from Hibiki but Hibiki was Hibiki.

Rin felt the unpleasant creep of fear. "We go forward, we deal with this." Stepping over the prostrate Yuu she walked to the center of the room. "Which way did he go?"

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

I probably deserved that.

[Catch]

Garouhime

During the surgery, the wolf princess ambled around the room aimlessly, occasionally looking over Rin's shoulder with vague curiosity before reclining in the operate doorway, circling it three times before sitting down. She appeared to drift off into a brief nap, head tilted back against the doorframe, yet when the explosion shook dust from the ceiling, Garouhime opened one lazy red eye, tilting her head in the direction of the sound. She drifted back to sleep for a while, but as soon as Rin deemed the surgery complete, Garouhime hopped up, cracking her neck in rather disgusting series of pops.

Swaggering across the room, Garouhime flashed a positively wolfish grin at the genin before approaching Rin.

"Nice use of time. Orochimaru's probabaly killed and eaten the Yakushi by now. Are we gonna go clean up the mess?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

When Garouhime sauntered back over towards the genin, Sumie fixed her with what she hoped was a featureless stare but in reality was a distrustful and angry glare at the continued presence of this...enemy.

"The last that we saw Orochimaru, he was heading north. I can only presume he knows that the Yakushi is in that direction. Rin, do we need this...woman to complete the mission?" The girl, barely into her teens, asks bluntly as she keeps her eyes on the woman.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin stood in the middle and tried to block out Garouhime with a mantra of unpleasant words directed at her. "We need to get to the Yakushi for Yuu's arm," she bared teeth as she began to walk forward. "We've come here and risked our lives for his arm, if we need to talk to Yakushi next then we'll talk his ears off." With that she made a gesture with her arm to the rest. "Come on, let's get moving." Rin began to walk again, slowly. Giving her genin, Sumie and Garouhime time to process the fact they were heading out.

[ZeroNumerous]

Chamber of the Twelve Heavenly Generals

As you head north you find the temple structure has begun flake and crumble into dust. As bits and pieces become cracked and aged like mud drying in the sun. Eventually you come to a stop amid a massive chamber lined with twelve colossal statues in the form of the twelve animals of the zodiac. The statues array themselves in a semicircle facing inward toward the entrance you step forth from. Each statue is cracked and two are broken in half. One has even crumbled entirely into dust. Of the remaining nine statues is the Boar, Dog, Monkey, Sheep, Horse, Tiger, Ox, Snake and Rat. The two broken in half are Dragon and Rabbit. And therefore the crumbled one would have to be Rooster.

In the middle of this semicircle lay three humanoid forms along with two forms standing about forty feet apart whilst facing one another. You all immediately recognize the closest as Orochimaru and the furthest as the quiet girl from before. The girl's left hand glows and crackles with lightning energy. Rin and Sumie both recognize the technique as Raikiri, though neither knows where she would have learned it. Orochimaru seems to be wounded, as his left leg, right arm and right leg are all bleeding from serious wounds while his left arm lays on the ground beside him. The girl, on the other hand, seems utterly uninjured except for a minor and superficial wound on her stomach caused by an obviously inferior combatant.

Of the three humanoid forms on the ground everyone recognizes one of them as the little girl whom had guided you up the mountain. Her head and upper body are twisted in grotesque angles opposite that of her lower body. She's obviously quite dead. The other form is that of a little boy with two long, limp red ribbons attached to his bright white hat. He seems to be bleeding out from a gut wound about the size of Rin's fist, and it was presumably the effect of Raikiri. The third humanoid form is just a pile of ash in the shape of an adult.

"Is this it, Orochimaru? The extent of his body? Or are you weak because you're just a pale shadow of the real monster?" Orochimaru silently accepts her words.

[Valgunn]

Rin

A silent footfall stood Rin at the entrance with hopefully her counterpart in line with her and her genin and 'protector' behind. Rin didn't glance once back through the run and instead looked upon the stone path that rolled out ahead of her.

Rin knew the lore of Yakushi far too vividly. His twelve guardian generals protected him from harm, but that wasn't important. To her quick mind the correlation between the three beaten statues and the three bodies was obvious. Instead she constructed the situation within her mind where she could toy with the variables.

The general she had encountered entered from outside the temple, it was a good assumption that the other had also. This created for Rin's sharp mind the possibility that this strange girl was defending Yakushi after it's fellows had failed. This is the part she hated. The waiting before she could act. A single hand sign told all those who could see to hold. The Hare is dieing, she thought. I need save him... Again she flashed the sign to hold to hammer home the order. I have to do something!

A third time she threw back the sign to hold before she moved as quickly as she dared to save the boy.

[Catch]

Garouhime

The wolf princess loped after Rin as the group hasted forward, the hem of her white kimono rippling like a silken kite. The warm tang of excitement and unshackled energy rolled of her in sharp waves, but neither her new partner nor the woman's charges could likely smell it. Whether Garouhime was eager to confront Orchimaru or just pleased to be moving again, it could not be said, but her red eyes flashed readiness and something else.

At Rin's hand signal, she padded to a stop, peering easily over the short statures of the genin to witness the carnage. A wickedly pleased smile split her face, porcelian points unsheathing from the velvet of her lips. The chuckle that escaped her throat seemed more a hoarse growl as those cruel red eyes fell on the crippled Orochimaru. Her tongue massaged a fang involuntarily.

"So. I wanted your heart before, but you couldn't even manage the Yakushi and that weak-smelling girl. Maybe it's not worth my time. Maybe," she sneered. An odd tone had crept into her voice, a sound vicious and greedy, twinging every word with something violent and base. Was it... hunger?

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Just who is that girl? To have managed to divest Orochimaru an arm after he, seems, to have killed three people. Maybe the Snake has slipped out of practice.

Sumie wonders to herself as they stand by the door-way of the chamber, watching the confrontation between Orochimaru and the nameless girl as her hands flexed and tightened into fists. This could be Konoha's greatest chance to kill Orochimaru that it has seen in years, but could she really capitalize on it? Could she even land a hit on Orochimaru if it came down to it?

"Woman, can you fight Orochimaru? Sumie whispers to Garouhime, keeping it as silent as she can and hoping the noise of the Raikiri hides the sound.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rin's dash toward the rabbit is met with surprise by Orochimaru, whom hadn't heard the group come in. The raikiri-armed woman had seen them though, and as soon as Rin comes close she leaps forward with her lightning-gloved hand held high. It takes milliseconds for that girl to cross the distance between both women.

Rin

Spoiler

Show

Rin realizes that it wouldn't take more than the slightest bit of pressure to penetrate clean through her. Unlike Hibiki's Rasengan or Rin's own Eiseidenka the Lightning Blade focused purely on piercing power. Her flesh would be as paper before a needle. Time seems to slow down as the bright blue dagger of energy poises itself to strke. Everything slows down to the speed of rapidly freezing molasses as a soft whisper invades Rin's ears. "I--I don't have a lot of time.. Just. Don't let her.. Find them."

DM

A flash of light overwhelms the room when the unknown girl stabs her raikiri down toward where Rin crouched. The blinding burst makes it impossible to see what happens next, but after several seconds of hurried blinking you're all left standing inside the same chamber minus the unbroken statues. In their places are neither rubble, dust nor any indication of their destruction. Rin is sitting on her butt, facing toward the girl and appearing to be unharmed. The girl in question is simply standing where she had once been leaping and her hand is devoid of crackling lightning. Orochimaru seems to see this as his chance and vomits up his tongue. The wiggling tentacle-like appendage shoots out of his open jaws with it's tip wrapped around a polished silver sword.

Unfortunately, it does not reach it's target.

The girl's left hand lashes out and grabs the tip of the blade between her index and middle fingers. "A pale imitation.." Her right hand points toward Orochimaru's throat with her index finger. "Raizanshu." A thin white blade shoots forth from her index finger, impales Orochimaru's neck then expands outward like a fan before vanishing into crackling flecks of light. The tongue goes limp as his lower body crumples to the ground, followed shortly by his head and tongue. The girl releases the sword, turns to face the genin with her back to Rin and quietly speaks. "Let me pass."

[Valgunn]

Rin

All Rin heard was her blood coursing through her, the thump-thump of her heart loud in her ears. "Don't let her," she said softly, belaying the heat within the core of her. "Whatever you do," she continued still softly. "Don't let her pass." Her pupil contracted before erupting out into the iris, the black and green mixing, shifting and changing until nothing but her sharingan remained.