Naruto d20 (Team A)

[Callos_DeTerran]

All four of the thugs seemed distinctly uneasy at the implied threats and Masaru standing in front of the doorway, trying to peer in over top of the genin's head to look in only to catch sight of Rio up on the table. Glances went to each other once more before one of them stepped forward.

"Just comin' for some food, boys. Won't be long so if you'll just get out of the..." He said a bit hedgingly and started to squeeze past the black garbed genin...


Michiko managed to slip in through the back door of the unagi restraunt without any sign of the two she had spotted in the alley way to find a rather bored looking Ami and a busy looking Kazuma. Of where they were supposed to take the kid...well...Keimatsu had said they'd know it when they saw it. And a big building that had crudely drawn (we're talking stick figures) verisons of each of each member of the team was a big tip off.

[ChronicLunacy]

Ibaraki Masaru

There was no warning, no telltale shift in movement, before Masaru's hand shot up from where it lay at his side. As he fell into a wider stance, he bent his hand downwards so the compact bone at the base of his wrist would connect solidly with the underside of the lead thug's jaw. The move was commonly referred to as the "chicken wing", but it was very effective despite the name. The top of his wrist would slap the man's jaw shut with teeth-shattering force.

Hey, they'd been warned.

Attack: 1d20+7=19
Damage: 1d4+3=6 (lethal)

When the man stumbled back, Masaru seemed to relax, hands again hanging limply at his sides. He didn't seem angry, itching for a fight, or much of anything. Once again he just stood there...a silent gargoyle guarding the way. The only outward sign he made to the thugs was a simple lift of one hand, index finger pointed out of a fist. He tilted his head to the side and waved his finger in front of his face as if to say, "No no no."

The first shot was a warning, a simple rebuke to let them know that he meant business. It was meant to shock and hurt the man, but he'd survive it despite the tongue he'd most likely bitten off when his jaw slapped shut. If he was smart, he'd leave before Masaru decided to use the sword that had somehow shifted a little more to the side of his shoulder for an easy draw...

[Callos_DeTerran]

The man had been completely unsurprised for the sudden assault by Masaru and took the chicken wing full on and stumbled back into the others that had come with him looking dazed in pain. Turning to the side he spitted out a couple of bloody teeth and wiggled his jaw back and forth even as he wobbled on his feet and narrowed his eyes.

"Get 'im."

With wicked grins coming to their faces, each of the four pull out clubs from their belts and began to pat them in their hands, like they were trying to scare the kid or sumthin'.

((Need iniative rolls from Rio, Masaru, and Michiko once she enters the fray.))

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

The masked genin didn't so much as flinch as he drew the sword slowly from the scabbard on his back, spreading his stance out so that the blade was held at the ready behind him, his free hand pointing towards the leader. Slowly, the hand turned palm up, and he beckoned the thugs with one finger.

Initiative: 1d20+3=15

[Catch]

Michiko

Bursting into the kitchen in a rush, Michiko wove quickly between the bustling undercooks and dishwashers, making a beeline for Ami. Snatching him by the sleeve, she gave him a hasty grin and jerked a thumb towards the back door.

"C'mon kid, we're makin' an exit. If you follow me and don't ask questions, I'll let ya help me out with my part of the mission, you got it?"

Not giving him a chance to reply, Michiko half-dragged Ami with her towards the kitchen's back door, already breaking into a run. Calling over her shoulder, she jerked a thumb towards the dining room hallway.

"Hey Kazuma! You're gonna have some disorderly company real quick! Take care of 'em, eh?"

[Bariko]

Rio

Rio chuckled a little at Masaru's strike and subsequent silent mockery.

"Geez guys, four on two? Isn't that a little unfair? Maybe you should go grab a couple of friends, make it more even, huh?" So saying, Rio readied his kunai for a toss. Damn, this would be so much easier if we could use our chakra. I wonder how Michiko is doing with Ami...

((Initiative roll d20+2=7 Ugh.))

[Callos_DeTerran]

Two of the thugs (Including the one Masaru punched before) outside of the unagi shop let out a loud yell as they charged stepped forward with their clubs. The first blow was a clumsy overhead one that Masaru simply leaned to the right to avoid...right into the second club that smacked him solidly up the side of the head. (5 points damage).

The remaining two decided to take another route into the building instead of the front door and with a loud crash of shattering glass one of them came jumping threw the closed window. His companion paused to kick away some of the jagged pieces still left in the frame before climbing through as well and cautiously approach Rio though not close enough for him to get a stab in with his kunai.


Ami appears more then a little bit startled as Michiko came bursting into the back and half dragged him to the back door. Kazuma was every bit of startled as well but he shook it off quickly and with a glance at the other cooks, he and the other two moved to the hallway leading into the dining room and looked in, fully expecting the worst.

"Hey wait a second! What about the others, you can't just leave them!" Ami protested shrilly as he was pulled to the back door and the hefty wooden slab was tossed open with a bang. The female genin lead her charge out into the alleyway behind the kitchen and looked down the paths to the left and right. Close to forty feet away the two men who she had been eavesdropping on turned to look at her with their mouths open.

"There she is! Grab her!"

(Initiative is Thugs, Michiko, Masaru, then Rio. The thugs have already taken their moves for this round.)

[ChronicLunacy]

Ibaraki Masaru
AC: 19
HP: 29/34

Masaru didn't yell or posture like the clumsy thugs did. After being hit with the second blow, he tried to follow the motion and therefore lessen the impact while at the same time beginning his counterattack. He spun on a heel, ducking his head down at the same time, and swept his sword around in a horizontal slash at the overextended thug's belly.

Attack: 1d20+6=24
Confirm Crit: 1d20+6=21
Damage 1: 1d6+3=7
Damage 2: 1d6+3=8
Total: 15 damage

[Catch]

Michiko

Michiko spotted the thugs down the alley and cursed under her breath, stuffing a hand into her belt pouch with a scowl.

"So much for the pretense, I guess."

Throwing a smoke bomb at her feet, Michiko dashed in the opposite direction of the thugs, tugging Ami by the arm, a grin spreading on her face.

"Well kid, looks like the mission came to me instead. C'mon, I think we can ditch 'em."

Darting to the end of the alley, she quickly turned the corner and made her way towards the marked building she had spotted earlier.

If I can keep up this pace, I think we'll make it without a fight. If they catch up... I don't know.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The smoke bomb went off with a loud popping noise, filling up the narrow alleyway with purplish smoke. Michiko could hear the two men go running into the cloud but the loud ruckus and noise suggested that at least one of them had run into the garbage cans that Kazuma had set out there. However the other one only seemed to be deterred for a moment or two before he came stumbling out of cloud coughing so hard it almost looked as if he was going to puke up a lung. Somehow he turned his teary eyes towards the fleeing kid and teenager and continued to in his pursuit, gradually picking up speed once more.

-----------------------------------

A pained yell announced the success of Masaru's attack as various steamy things spilled out from the thug's belly, the man falling back through the doorway to land on his back. He was drawing more then a little attention to himself with all of the yelling that he was doing. But the other one, the one he punched before, didn't waste any time in taking another swing at him with the club, only to have measured the distance poorly and having it come up more then a couple of inches short.

Rio proved to be in a far worse situation as both of his opponents jumped at him at the same moment. The first of the two darted forward to grip the edge of the table, barely avoiding a stab of Rio's kunai, before the table was flipped out from underneath of the genin. The other thug was laying in wait, catching the boy in his arms and holding unto him tightly with a grin.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

Judging the club's arc and reach in a fraction of a second, Masaru didn't even try to dodge out of the way. He simply let the weapon pass by in front of him before he moved forewards in a counterattack to finish off the last of the two thugs that had come at him. Holding his blade low as he stepped in, he executed one rising slash that opened the man from hip to shoulder in a spray of ichor.

Attack: 1d20+7=21
Damage: 1d6+3=7


He caught sight of Rio's situation out of the corner of his eye, knowing that he'd have to move quickly to assist the other genin. He waited until he was sure that his current thug had fallen to whirl on the door, silent and grim, and tilted his head to the side at the thug's holding Rio like a curious dog.

"If your friends get to a doctor right now they might live. Put him down and I will let you leave with them." he stated calmly.

[Catch]

Michiko

Dashing down the alley, Michiko grinned at Ami as she heard the various sounds coming from her smoke cloud, most notably the crashes and hacking coughs. "See, kid? It helps to be prepared, especially when your opponents aren't that bright."

Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed the remaining thug step out of the hazy smoke and with a twist of her mouth, she picked up the pace, her slender legs eating more ground with every stride, all the while tugging Ami by the arm. She flashed him a reassuring smirk, letting his sleeve go in order to let the boy run for himself. "Keep up with me, we're almost out of this."

The two make their way as quickly as possible towards the building Michiko had spotted earlier, the girl spurring the boy along with her special brand of cheeky confidence and apparent lack of fear or worry, hoping to reach the structure before the thugs reconnoiter.

Keimatsu-sensei better have been right about this. I'm gonna be pissed if I did all this running for nothing.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Ami stumbles some as the girl who had just been pulling him along let go so he could run on his own. The boy soon picked up his stride however and began to run easily after her with nice measured breath, however he was lagging behind her.

"Shouldn't we go back for your comrades? Aren't they in danger too?" He asked curiously, looking back over his shoulder towards the pathway that they had just exited. Raking coughs sounded off the arrival of the first man, and Ami's eyes widened.

"Get down!" He exclaimed and leaped forward, colliding with the older girl and bearing her to the ground. Just in time as a fair-sized crate went soaring over their head's to shatter against the ground.

--------------

In the unagi shop, the tension only escalated as the second man fell to the ground with a horrific wound marring his body. The one holding Rio had to struggle for a moment as the genin wriggled in his grasp, but managed to keep the firm grip on him. Even going so far as to hold the genin in front of him with one arm under his head and the club raised up into the air with the other.

"Yeah right, like we'd believe a couple of murderous nin. Tell us were the kids are and nuthin' bad'll happen to that boy!" The free handed one declared, smacking his club into his palm, seemingly taking some sort of confidence at having his companion holding a hostage.

((The round after this one, you'll reach the building Catch.))

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

"Nothing will happen to the boy, despite what you may have planned for him. I'll kill you both before I let you touch him." Masaru explained calmly. "Though as long as we are on the subject, what 'kids' do you refer to?"

Ah ha! A clue. Perhaps everything was not as it seemed. These men seemed to be concerned over something. Perhaps the genins' new sensei had been just slightly more devious in this mission's planning than previously anticipated. He would kill them to save Rio's life, but if a more...bloodless solution could be obtained then that would be preferable. Masaru had no problem with ending their lives to save his teammate, but needless bloodshed was another thing entirely. His body was scared, not his conscience.

Then again, he could be wrong and they could have just been referring to Michiko and Ami when they mentioned the "kids". Though Masaru hoped for a better outcome.

[Catch]

Michiko

Michiko let out a grunt as the smaller boy crashed into her and they both fell flat to the street, swearing under her breath as the crate smashed in front of her.

"Flying crates. Wonderful. Couldn't they just throw shuriken like regular ninja?" she muttered. Turning to Ami, she grumbled "Next time, you could just say 'duck,' you know."

Realizing that the present moment was not quite suitable for reprimand, she reached out and hauled Ami to his feet, giving him only a moment to regain his legs before breaking into a run and spurring him to do the same. "C'mon kid, we're almost there! D'you wanna take a flying box upside the head?"

With the building in sight, Michiko breaks into a dead sprint, sparing breath only to shout "Keep up with me, kid, we'll make it!"

Assuming they both reach the building in one piece, Michiko will shove Ami in the door first and then duck in herself, slamming it shut behind her and bracing it with her body.

[Callos_DeTerran]

"I did the first thing that came to mind! Maybe I won't help next time!" Ami declared in a huff and ducked as another crate smashed off of the wall beside them. The kid shut up after that however and ran in silence, looking back over his shoulder every now and then for more projectiles as they ran.

But the man chasing them didn't seem to have the same kind of training that the two kids did and never quite caught up with them. Instead he lagged farther and farther behind until it looked as if he had given up the chase after them. Ami was breathing hard as the door opened and the ducked inside. It was only after Michiko had braced her body against the doorway that she heard a slow and steady clapping...

((Catch, a PM will be inbound shortly.))

-----------------

"Hah! I don't think even you'd be able to kill us both 'fore we did sumthin' fairly unpleasent to this kid, so just back up and tell us were the little brat and the girl are!" The gruff thug says, the both of them edging back and away from the black covered genin that was crouched untop of the table. Trying to put some distance between them and that sword as a head poked out around the corner to observe the mayhem happening in the dining room.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

The masked ninja edged towards them as they retreated, giving them no indication that he'd seen anything behind them. His mirrored lenses gave away nothing as he sheathed his sword and let his hands fall to his sides. Putting away his weapon would allow Masaru to confuse them long enough for him to press them a bit farther towards the kitchens. He would only stop if they began to immediately threaten Rio's safety.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but if you don't put him down you will be joining your friends on the ground outside." he deadpanned. What the thugs didn't see as he kept their attention with his voice was the pair of kunai that found his way into his palms from within his sleeves.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20+6=19

[Callos_DeTerran]

"You know what we're talking about! The blond little spitfire and the Jounin's brat, were are they?" The one without a hostage said as he continued to back away a little farther and raised his hand. A club raised and came down on the back of Rio's head, eliciting a pained groan when it landed with a wet thud. Not to mention drawing an angry look from the held Rio.

However the both of them didn't seem to notice the two kunai that Masaru was slipping down into his hands, or the cook creeping up behind them holding a large cast iron skillet in both hands.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

"Alright, alright!" he said, trying to stop any more blows from landing on Rio's unprotected head. "You win. Just don't hurt him. I'll tell you where they are." he assured them. "All you have to know is-"

Masaru's hands came up in midsentence, when they were focused on what he was telling them rather than their surroundings at the moment. He had not trained extensively in throwing two kunai at once but in order to save Rio he had to make sure he got both. The cook could finish them off. So, his hands blurred up in two underhanded throws, sending the kunai whistling towards each bandit's left eye.

Rolls:

Spoiler

Show

((Figured the kunai counted as light weapons for two-weapon purposes.))
First Kunai: 1d20+2=21
Crit Confirm: 1d20+2=18
Damage: 6
Critical Damage: 6

Second Kunai:
1d20-2=12
Damage: 7

Damage Rolls: http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=987947

[Callos_DeTerran]

The two kunai flew out with a powerful throw, one of them sinking into the man's arm (The one holding Rio) and drawing blood. However the other projectile stuck into the thug's chest and merely hug there as he looked down at it with an amazed eye. With a growl he reached down to rip the weapon from his chest though no blood trickled from the wound. With a smirk he rapped his knuckles on his chest to reveal the dull tapping noise of a concealed armored vest.

"Amazing things, aren't they?" He said just as the frying pan came down weakly on his shoulder, pushing him forward but causing no real harm. Instead the thug turned around and whipped the club across the chef's face and sent him stumbling to the ground. As if realizing his mistake at the last second, he just started to turn around towards Masaru.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru
HP: 29/34
AC: 21
CP: 13/15

The black-clad ninja didn't waste the opportunity. As soon as the thug turned around he would find himself greeted with none other than Masaru's boot. The shinobi moved with incredible speed, closing the gap between them in a fraction of the time it would take a normal person. He vaulted off of a table, spinning in the air, and struck out with his foot to connect solidly with the side of the man's head with a sharp crack!

Spoiler

Show

Taijutsu Check for Shodan Kousoku (Rank One Speed) - DC 15
1d20+13=21
Chakra Cost: 2

Attack
1d20+7=23 + 1 for Rank 1 Speed = 24

Damage
1d4+3=7 (lethal)

[Callos_DeTerran]

The man took the blow hard and his head snapped around with the same sound of the thwacking noise but didn't quite go down. Instead the man growled and jabbed the club forward to Masaru's stomach but the blow had no force behind it.

A yell from the second one announced Rio's escape from his clutches and a kunai dug down into his thigh. Rio rolls away nimbly with his sudden release and offers a Masaru a rakish grin despite the throbbing pain coming from his head.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru
HP: 29/34
AC: 21
CP: 13/15

Masaru fell back for just a moment to return Rio's grin with a nod of his own. Then, not giving the thug a chance to recover, he snapped foreward again like a shot, riding out the speed boost that forcing chakra into circulation through his entire body afforded him. He stepped down, then propelled himself forewards using the powerful muscles in his leg to send the bony cap of his knee flying across the intervening distance to land directly on the thug's sternum, hopefully knocking him to the ground.

Spoiler

Show

Flying Knee: 1d20+8=22
Damage: 1d4+3=6 (lethal)

Note: Last round using Rank 1 Speed.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Masaru planted his knee hard against the thugs sternum and sent him falling to the ground, eye lids fluttering before they shut and the man fell into a...forced sleep. Rio proved to have equal success in his endeavors as he jabbed forward with his kunai, making his target gurgle in pain before slumping down to the ground.

No more enemies showed themselves to be present in the unagi shop and the cook was picking himself off of the ground slowly, rubbing his jaw and wincing. When the thug who had bashed him across the face groaned, looking as if he might pick himself back up, the assaulted culinary artist rushed over and kicked the man in the side of the head and made sure he wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon.

However the two successful genin were left with a different question, since Michiko and Ami were no were in sight, with the last sign of them being with the blond teenager taking their charge out of the back of the restraunt. Kazuma came out of the back with a smile on his face and approached the injured chef, giving him a hearty pat on the back and a roar of laughter. "Good job kid, your now officially a chef here. Why don't you go in the back and put some ice on that jaw before it goes stiff?" He suggested, waiting until his employee had retreated into the back before surveying the damages. He seemed to sigh when he saw the bodies on the ground, two of which had ceased to breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well this is a fiddle..." He groaned before looking to the two genin who remained. "Ahh...well I guess I'll handle the paper work for this and alert the proper authorities. Don't worry about getting in trouble, I heard about some of it from your friend and I'll vouch for you..bloody thugs..." Carefully stepping around the upturned table, Kazuma went to the doorway and put out a closed sign for the unagi shop. Not that it'd really be needed since...who'd eat in a shop that had just been through a fight?

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

"I apologize for the damages." Masaru said, bowing to Kazuma stiffly. "I will pay for any damages we might have inflicted." Next, he collected his kunai, noting absently that some of the thugs had died during the fight, their friends not having cared enough to get them the help needed to save their lives. "Would you call the medical teams, Kazuma? I'd rather not all of them died here."


Then, he turned to Rio. "Come on, we need to find Michiko and Ami." he said, then turned and ran out the back door. Hopefully they would be able to pick up Michiko's trail.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Rio followed after Masaru as he went rushing out of the back of the shop, leaving a startled Kazuma in their wake. Once out back they found what could only be seen as a sign of a ruckus. A trio of garbage cans had been overturned, leaving their contents strewn across the ground, and there were still wisps of colored smoke drifting through the air. Presumably from a discharged smoke bomb.

The two ninja glanced at each other before looking closely at the ground to try and figure out which direction that their comrade and charge had gone in but the question seemed to answer itself before they could divulge their own answer.

Michiko and Ami came around a corner of the alleyway, perhaps thirty feet away from where Rio and Masaru had come out from. The two of them seemed relatively unharmed though Ami looked different then before. In place of the plain t-**** and shorts he wore, he instead had a heavy vest on and looked far more serious then before. Also several undone leather straps swayed from side to side behind the kid...

[Bariko]

((OOC: Oh my crap, I hate exams. It's the most brutal thing ever. It's not like regular hate, it's so much more black. If they were a street gang I'd fsckin' go to war with them with bottles and chains.

I am incredibly, incredibly sorry for my absence. Exam period has been beating me senseless. The real ones are over, though there are still take home exams, and papers to write. But I should be back now. Once again, sorry everyone. Oh, and thanks for not killing me off Callos.))

Rio

"Man, my head smarts," murmured Rio softly. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about the damages. We'll be willing to compensate if you like. And hey, maybe someday we'll get a chance to actually have a good time here."

Rio then nodded, made sure the thugs weren't moving, and took off after Masaru.

Man, I'm kinda pathetic with taijutsu. I've got to work on that...

As they emerged from the shop and noticed their comrades, Rio paused. What had happened to Ami?

[Catch]

((OOC: Looks like Callos can't spell for shirt. ))

Michiko

With a bit of a swagger and bounce in her step, Michiko approached Masaru and Rio in no particular hurry, waving at them from far off. As they came within speaking distance, she chuckled at the two of them.

"You guys look like hell. Did you at least win?" She grinned and gestured to Ami, "and don't worry about 'Ami.' I already took care of the mission for you two. I think he's safe for now," she finished with a laugh.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

The masked genin didn't seem phased by the new developments...though to be fair he didn't ever seem much of anything behind that implacable mask. He straightened up as the two approached, and seemed to take stock of the new Ami. "Some of them might still be alive." he said without inflection. "Hmph...Keimatsu-sensei, I presume? Or was any of the story you gave us factual?"

[Bariko]

Rio

Oh man, that hit to the head must've messed with my brain. I'm supposed to be a smart one. 'Course it's Keimatsu-sensei.

"Tch. Did we win? Of course we won. Though really, it's thanks to this guy here," he said, pointing at Masaru. "I was... less than efficient, but we still won. A win's a win, no matter how you slice it. Though I suspect we may not have done so well on our first test, eh sensei?"