Kagegakure; Team 5 [IC Thread]

[ZeroNumerous]

Toshio

Tora-sensei hangs her head to one side as a faint half-growl escapes her lips. For a moment, she sounds like a spoked kitten. "Nyoro~ Abandoned by my own genin.."

Tora-sensei grows quiet, sitting down on the ground beside Moko with her knees up. Both her arms slip around the big tiger's head, hugging his head close to her chest. Moko moves about at first, mostly due to the uncomfortable position. But you notice that she holds onto him with no visible strain. Sure, the tiger isn't as big as it could be, but she's holding onto a three hundred pound cat with little to no trouble.

The air seems quieter without Tora-sensei acting like a fool. Or maybe it's her foolishness that makes her special? Even poor Moko seems depressed as he just accepts it and lets Tora-sensei hug him. At least, you think he does. It's hard to tell, really.

[The Unborne]

Toshio

The mood really did die down as Tora-sensei slowly knelt to the ground, silent. Toshio found a spot by a tree to sit down against and stared at his new sensei. Maybe there was more to her than an oblivious loaf? He took out a large roll of bandages that was pocketed in one of his pouches and began rewrapping his newly opened wounds. Toshio really hated this part about being medicated, but it was necessary.

The entire atmosphere was so quiet that the genin couldn’t help but break the silence. “At least, Tora-sensei, I didn’t abandon you.” The edges of his bandaged mouth spread out, signaling that he was smiling, a true smile this time.

[ZeroNumerous]

Tora-sensei looks toward the genin who broke the silence. For a second, her eyes are half-closed and her face is covered by the shadow of the tree she is under. For a split second, you can feel the dangerous intent hidden beneath her skin.

Then she smiles, widely at that, while closing her eyes and squeezing Moko even harder. The poor tiger scrambles abit, but eventually just gives up. "That is very right! I shouldn't be mopping here when I have a disciple to train! But wait.. You don't even know my name. I'm Lani. Lani Ikata."

Lani pops up, letting Moko scramble away to breathe again, and sticks one hand out to shake Toshio's. "I know yours already, Toshio. So lets get the awkward stuff out of the way right now. Do you have any questions for me or about me? I have some for you, but they can wait until later."

[The Unborne]

Toshio

Lani…Hmm anything’s better than Tora-sensei I guess. The newly wrapped bandages on the genin’s arm fold in on themselves as he reaches for the handshake. In all honesty, he was happy to get her to release Moko. No wonder he was running around. Toshio thinks for a moment of all the questions he could ask his new sensei. It was finally the time to get things straight.

“Boy, do I have a lot of questions for you sensei! Where to start…okay, where did you find such an animal like Moko? I’m sure he’s not dangerous to you, but to me he seems almost too beastly to tame,” the bandaged genin takes a deep breath, trying to find the best questions he could think of. “Is it safe to say you fight like hand and glove together with Moko? Sensei, to be able to keep on par with Moko, you must also be as fast as him. It is such an amazing speed, that much I’ll admit to, but will I ever be that fast also? I don’t wanna be left behind when you two zoom off like that and all I can do is watch.”

Too many questions, how many more do I have? Let’s go with two more… “Do you specialize in any type of jutsu? By the look of you, it seems like you focus on martial arts." One more…The most important… “Why do you sound like a cat all the time?” The question may have came off to blatant, but it had to get out.

[ZeroNumerous]

"Nyah~! This one talks too much..

Ok. Ok. Moko. Well, we've always been together. I don't ever remember not having Moko, so I can't answer your question accurately. Honestly, we're more like teammates than owner and pet. Yes, I do have quite a few taijutsu techniques, but my real focus remains on Ninjutsu, specifically Doton and Katon techniques.

Speed.. Lets see. Usually he's using Yondan Kousaku, so you should be able to learn it. It's a strain for you or me to move at that speed though. And I don't sound like a cat all the time! Just some of the time.. Nyah~"

Lani looks at the ground for a second, she seems to be contemplating why she sounds like a cat. Or she might be wondering what time it is. It's hard to tell. She claps both hands together, raising her head in the process and looking Toshio in the eye. "Alright! Anything else?"

[The Unborne]

Toshio

Was there anything else to ask? Toshio replayed all of the day’s past events and thought for a moment. He was back there when he first met Lani-sensei, she spoke to him strangely and called him by an unknown name. Meh, might as well ask that. “When we first met you said things in a strange dialect and you called me Esanu-chan…Is there anything about this that I should know about?” His mind was clear of any personal questions he had for his new sensei, he was ready for whatever questions she would ask.

“That’s about it Lani-sensei, sorry for being such a pest,” Toshio takes out another long bandage and covers a part of his shoulder that Moko clawed. It stung a little bit, but his full attention was on his sensei still.

[ZeroNumerous]

The moment Toshio says the words "Esanu" and "-chan" together, Lani freezes in her tracks. A visible shiver runs up Lani's back as she slowly, ever so slowly, turns around and puts her back to Toshio. In such a short span of time, she becomes quiet and deadly serious.

"It's not important. Forget about it. Lets get back home to rest, you're already injured and I don't want to start your training in that state."

Lani starts walking toward Kagegakure, offering no real conversation of her own accord. If questioned, she'll answer, but otherwise both her and Moko walk along in quiet contemplation.

[The Unborne]

Toshio

Toshio finishes up bandaging his shoulder and listens to the coldness in his sensei’s voice. No “Nyah~!” or anything came from her lips; he had the impression he struck the wrong chord. Something bad must’ve happened to her and this Esanu-chan…oh well its none of my business anyways. He utters out a small moan when she mentions him being injured.

If I was so injured, then maybe you shouldn’t have sent me to fetch Moko… This jounin made no sense to him most of the time, but it was useless thinking about it any further. The genin had already accepted her as being his true 'Tora-sensei,' and he wasn’t about to ruin that relationship. He walks back near his sensei without saying a word, keeping to the silence Lani had made. Deep down he felt a little ashamed for asking such a question. Curiosity killed the cat, they say.

[ZeroNumerous]

Kagegakure

The sun was high up in the sky, sending its bright rays of sunlight across the blue dome that covered the land. Clouds drifting about lazily as if unhurried about where they had to go and who they had to rain on. In the land squashed between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, a large collection of buildings marked the presence of one of the nigh-famous Hidden Shinobi villages. Concealed in the shadow of a massive overhang of stone and the huge tree that grew on its peak, a cool shade covered the town and most of the nearby lands in the valley. A large waterfall cascaded from the north end and became a river that traveled the entire length to exit out into forests and lakes. Birds flitted happily through the air and a quiet murmur was in the air. It always was, even if there was nobody actually awake and about, one mystery of this place.

A battered and burned wall surrounded this sleepy place, scars from battles long past marring its perfect white surface with three gates. One to the west, south, and north while the east side only had a gaping hole with construction crews scurrying about it. The interior of the village had the same scars as the wall that protected it though there was considerably more work done to repair the damages to it. Some buildings actually looked new and fresh. A sprawling noble complex with the symbol of the infamous Mibu clan. A tall and dome-like building in the center of the village, the residence and office of the village leader. And of course the Academy itself has been completely repaired and fixed. Fewer people then normal were bustling about the city but it was a healthy sort of buzz. The kind that showed that this village, despite its hardships was just beginning to recover from whatever tragedy had befallen it. Shops and restaurants getting enough business to pull them by. Children playing in the street with toys. Wives or husbands putting clothes up on the line.

A simple day for many of the normal folk in the village of Kagekure, but it was one rocked by suspicion, scandal, and new faces. The entire village was abuzz with the news that three Jounin had gone missing from the village with naught a trace or sign of them..

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

The trio, well duo plus tiger, arrive under the massive shadow that perpetually enclosed Kagegakure. The sun, once shining brightly, now barely pierces the dark veil which residents have lived their entire lives under. They passed through the east gate, which still lay in ruins from the war. Lani takes no notice of the construction crews, despite their attempts to garner her attention. It seemed that everyone expected the lady and her tiger to be crazy and happy. Your jounin simply walked on past, slipping between groups of people to avoid running into anyone. The people that knew her seemed to grow sad with her passing. Sure, she was crazy, but her crazy presence seemed enough to lighten up everyone around her.

"Are your wounds serious? Do you think you can start your training today with that cut on your shoulder?"

[The Unborne]

Toshio

Now Toshio felt even worse for bringing up Esanu-chan. Throughout his short life of pain and sorrow, craziness and happiness weren’t emotions that he saw often. Maybe people act that way to brighten other people’s lives…Maybe I’ll try to find a way to brighten sensei up. Now that I know Esanu-chan is taboo for her, I’ll never make the same mistake again.

The genin is almost surprised at his master’s question. They had been silent the entire time and now Lani-sensei had spoken. “My shoulder is perfectly fine Tora-sensei…My entire body has been this way for a couple of years now. Just a minor cut can make me bleed profusely. It may look bad, but it’s nothing to be worried about. Most of my pain is due to exhaustion. I wouldn’t mind getting some training in today.” He took a deep breath to regain his composure. Toshio’s whole demeanor seemed bright, maybe too bright; he was trying his hardest to lighten the atmosphere.

[ZeroNumerous]

Toshio

Lani questions the student on what exact he's going to be studying, and if she has any expertise in the area then she offers to assist him.

Spoiler

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You'll get 1 full day of training to learn a technique. If you're going to learn a Doton or Taijutsu technique, then Lani can help you. Since assistance from a master is based on EL, you'd gain a +4 bonus to your Learn check. Unless it's Shodan Kousoku. Then she can provide a +6 bonus due to mastery.

[The Unborne]

Toshio

Toshio contemplates what he would like to learn. It was his first day ever studying under Lani-sensei and he was sure she could help him out with any doton jutsu he was thinking about. However his mind kept returning to Moko and how his speed escaped even his Katsugan. For the longest time, the genin thought that the Katsugan would give him the edge over any fast opponent, but after seeing Moko his theory had fallen apart.

After another few moments of thinking, he decided, “Tora-sensei, teach me the ability to move fast. I can’t allow any opponent to beat me because I can’t touch them…” Toshio stood there ready to spring into even the hardest of training.

Spoiler

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Do you want me to roll the Learn Check or are you going to do it behind the scenes? Besides that Toshio decided on learning Shodan Kuosuko and it’ll take 8 days to complete the training.

[The Unborne]

Spoiler

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Take 10 on Shodan Kuosuko Learn Check. DC: 18, Result= 20. Training will take 8 days.
After this period of training Toshio will have 12/16 Chakra.

Thanks Zero, I'll do better next time I promise.

[ZeroNumerous]

Toshio

Lani and the cloth-wrapped genin spend most of the day trying to get Toshio to focus his chakra into his legs. His exceptional chakra control makes that part easy, but he seems to have abit of trouble focusing on his legs and attempting to move at the same time. Lani sends the young genin home to try again on his own time and instructs him to meet her in the same place tomorrow morning.

Sanma

You awaken after a hard day of work, wondering why your jounin instructor didn't come to meet you yesterday. As you wonder over to your kitchen for breakfast, you notice a letter stuck to your icebox with a magnet. After opening it, you realize that the letter is from your jounin! No wonder she didn't meet you yesterday.

That was how the letter that Sanma received this morning started. It was written in a flowery and very feminine script. But each letter was meticulously inked in a strange fashion, as if the individual in question was drawing with his or her fingertips rather than the entire hand. The letter instructed the young student to arrive at one of the training fields at five A.M. sharp.

The field in question was a simple square dirt clearing surrounding a small outcropping of trees. A trio of target scarecrows stood amid the field. All three were arranged in a wide triangle, with a single circle drawn in the center with chalk. It's rather obvious that the area was one of the old shuriken training grounds like back in the academy.

It's about five-oh-five in the morning and a cloth-wrapped boy is standing amid the scarecrows. He appears to be waiting on someone or something..

Toshio

You see and hear the approach of a genin wearing the standard ninja outfit. It seems that you aren't the only tora-osheigo, just the only one who ever shows up on time..

[El_Frenchie]

Sanma had been thinking about the letter for a while, the strange calligraphy sticking in the back of his mind. Oh well, at least I now have word of my sensei and my team.

As Sanma arrives to the shuriken training field, he looks at the scarecrows and approaches the other Genin, hands in his pockets. "Hum, hi? I'm here to meet up with our Sensei."

Taking a close look at Toshio, he looks around, wary of his surroundings, then he simply sits down on the floor.

He has white sort of spiky hair and his eyes are a light shade of brown, he looks fairly serious for a boy his age, and pretty tall. He frowns slightly as he waits alongside Toshio.

[The Unborne]

Toshio


In all honesty, Toshio was expecting Moko to sneak up behind him. It was a pleasant surprise to find another genin stuck being a Tora-oshiego along side him. I wonder why he didn’t show up yesterday…I hope Moko slices his shoulder open. The bandaged genin shakes off the horrible thought and looks to his new comrade.

“Ah so I guess it is a four unit team after all! I was worried that I’d be the only Tora-oshiego in this village. There’s not much to our Tora-sensei, or Tiger Master, besides a spunky attitude,” Toshio barely remembers to take a breath near the end of his drawn out welcome. The mummy-like genin apparently had no care if his new teammate understood the names he just threw out. Let him figure it out on his own. He quickly brings up his hand waiting for a handshake from the sitting ninja.

“My name’s Toshio, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Spoiler

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Long day...I'll make a better post describing Toshio later tomorrow. Ugh I hate not getting home until nine at night.

[El_Frenchie]

Sanma had absolutely no idea what to expect from Sensei, and meeting Toshio made nothing to quell his curiosity. Raising an eyebrow, he looks at his teammate for a second, a gust of wind running through the field, making him raise his voice slightly.

"Tora...oshiego? is that what she calls her students? Is she some sort of taijutsu Tensai?"

Observing the mummy-like genin, he feels the urge to ask about it, but seems to be able to control his curiosity. This is slightly strange, there was a meeting before this one? It seems he already met sensei and knows a few things about her. He yawns slightly, rubbing the corner of his eyes, then looks up to Toshio, who had just brought up his hand.

Taking his hand, shaking it firmly, he gives a friendly grin.

"My name is Sanma, from the Utanaru clan. Pleased to meet you."

[The Unborne]

Toshio

After the handshake, the genin lowers himself to the ground next to Samna. Every bandage wrapped around him started folding in on themselves causing Toshio to shift some around while he sat. I really hate changing these things. That's the last time I use Toujun no Jutsu while bleeding.The young genin stares up into the sky trying to avert his attention to something else rather than his uncomfortable wrappings. His auburn hair sways easily with the breeze as he turns his head towards his late teammate.

“I asked her the same thing, and she said she focuses more in Doton and Katon ninjutsus. She’s an interesting kunoichi, I guess you’d have to see for yourself.” Toshio tries to smile, but he wrapped his facial bandages to tightly that morning. “Meh…So Samna-san is there anything I should know about you? We’ll be together on a great load of missions, and it’d be best if we don’t get on each other’s nerves.”

He lets the question linger in the air as he looks around the training ground. It felt like an eternity since he was standing here alone waiting for anyone to show up, and now he had someone to wait with. Maybe two tigers will come out…

[El_Frenchie]

Sanma

Sanma yawned slightly again, he felt a bit tired after his training yesterday, and somehow he couldn't shrug it off. Looking towards the sky, and then around the field, he listens to his new teammate and once he's finished, he leaves a slight pause before answering.

"Doton and Katon... Well, at least maybe I'll be able to learn some Doton ninjutsu from her. And... by interesting kunoichi, at least, reassure me: She didn't do... -that- to you, right?"

Sanma was looking at Toshio's bandages.

Smiling, he starts training his seal-making speeds, simply practicing.

"Well... I'm not from this Village. But that's not something I'd like to talk about. I am... a doton-user, and you can definitely count on me in any
kind of battle."

Pausing briefly, looking at the seal of the tiger he just made, he looks at his comrade.

"Hm, Toshio-san, I read something interesting in the library, something about doing seals with only one hand. Heh, I'd love getting to know how to do that."

[The Unborne]

Toshio


This guy doesn’t seem bad at all; maybe he just didn’t get the memo that our training started yesterday. Oh well, I’m actually glad I got to experience encountering Moko by myself. It was uplifting to say the least. Toshio listens to the idle chit-chat his partner lets out. Mildly interested, the bandaged genin replies, “You don’t say…I’m no ninjutsu specialist, but I swore you needed to form hand signals with both hands. Learn something new everyday I guess.” The fact was that he did see it once, but he was trying to act polite.

It was years ago when the Cloud-nin took him away…None of that! Today’s going to be fun. We may even get our first mission! Toshio scans the area one last time making sure there was nothing sneaking up on them and then he focuses on his bandaged body. “Oh Lani-sensei didn’t do this to me. It took years to make me need all of this…Long story short they’re not coming off anytime soon,” there is no hint of pain in his voice neither embarrassment, most of it was said with a matter-of-fact tone.

“It’s a good thing you’re a doton-user, I use a bit myself so maybe we can train each other. I’m not one for ninjutsus, but I am smart enough to know that they are essential for all Shinobi.”

[ZeroNumerous]

Lani

A tall woman, clad in black-and-white strips similar to those of the tiger, slowly walks into the clearing. She's rubbing one eye absentmindedly, while looking about for her genin. A wide yawn uncovers her mouth, a yawn which she makes no effort to suppress. Her back arches and she stretches both arms wide, much like a cat stretching after waking up. "Nyah~" She half-sighs, half-meows in her normally high-pitched voice.

Her bright, well-groomed blonde hair encases a beautiful face. One could swear she wasn't a shinobi, if not for the armor and clothing. Of course, like all other shinobi from Kagegakure, she bears it's headband as well. The smoke-colored ribbon is wrapped around her neck like a collar, with the metal bar poking up from beneath her shirt-collar.

She blinks a few times to clear her eyes, then looks at the two genin sitting in the clearing where there should only be one. "..Eh? Where'd you come from kiddo? Did you get lost? Awh.. Did you wander away from mommy?" She smiles widely as she comments, her eyes are half-closed and appear as twin half-moons. Both her bright blue orbs seem to dance with a mischievous gleam, as if she were a cat about to pounce on pray.

"I'm sorry, but we're big scary shinobi. We have things to do today.. Things that.." Her voice drops a full octave, becoming much like a the hunting tiger. For a second, Tora-sensei seems to stop restraining herself and allows her pure killing instinct to come to bear on both genin. It's a hateful thing, completely unlike the cold and calculating hunters instinct of Moko. For a split second, it's almost as if the entire world has turned into a raging inferno that threatens to swallow everything about you. "..will kill a weak man."

In a second she's smiling again, with her head angled and eyes closed. The killing intent is gone, vanished beneath that serene facade. "Of course.. If you're one of my missing tora-oshiego then we're on a completely different page!"

[The Unborne]

Toshio

Toshio gives a small sigh. At least she’s back to normal. The Shadow-nin sits there staring at his sensei…Did she really just say kill someone? Toshio was about to raise the question but decided against it, for now on he’d be careful with what he’d say with this kunoichi. There was no telling what comment could set her off into a depressed mood. Can they really send off genin’s to assassinate someone? Then again, I’ve only been here for a few months; maybe they really do need all the manpower they can muster.

Toshio uses his arms to push himself up from his sitting position. He spots Moko and looks to his sensei with his linen-covered eyes. “Yes Tora-sensei, this is one of your new Tora-oshiegos…” He leaves his sentence open for the other genin to introduce himself. As Toshio waits, he looks at Moko, admiring the beast’s emerald gaze. If only he was more confident with himself he’d leave the two alone and pet the tiger just as Lani-sensei did the day before. But then he notices the tiger’s razor-like claws and goes against the idea. Maybe when I know Moko won’t attack me again…

[El_Frenchie]

As his sensei walked towards him, Sanma couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. She had approached them without even a sign or the slightest noise, and he only spotted her when she entered his immediate field of view.

"..Eh? Where'd you come from kiddo? Did you get lost? Awh.. Did you wander away from mommy?"

At those words, the genin frowns. For real? Is she really sensei? What's with the cat attitude? She's silent though. And what the... that tiger... is that a summon? His two amber eyes look keenly at her.

"I'm sorry, but we're big scary shinobi. We have things to do today.. Things that.."

Sanma stopped frowning. He felt something overpowering him, her sheer killing intent made him skip a heartbeat, the palm of his hands became slightly moist and the pupils of his eyes dilated slightly. He realised how serious it was, this wasn't training, this was something else. He felt like getting out of here as fast as he could.

"..will kill a weak man."

Are you out of your mind? You know why you're here in the first place! You can't back out now! That was true... he knew full well why he chose to stay here in the Village of Shadow, and why he forsake the teachings of the Land of Earth. This was to make him grow.

Determination flooded back to his face, and he frowns slightly.

"Of course.. If you're one of my missing tora-oshiego then we're on a completely different page!"

“Yes Tora-sensei, this is one of your new Tora-oshiegos…”

Thank gods Toshio was here. And by the looks of it, he'd met her before. And alone. Newfound respect grew for his new teammate, Sanma acknowledged him with a grin, and, looking back to sensei with two keen eyes, he says:

"My name is Sanma. I am your new Tora-Oshiego."

[ZeroNumerous]

"Hmph. Well. You're late! I don't like people who are late all the time!" Ignoring the fact, of course, that she showed up nearly ten minutes late for the meeting. "'Specially when it's very very important! But.. I suppose I can forgive you. For now." She seems to pose when she says that last bit, resting her chin in her hand between her index finger and thumb. One would think she was trying to be cool, or maybe she was just crazy. At this point, it's pretty hard to tell.

"I am just too cool! Alright! Since Sanma was late yesterday we're going to conduct a training exercise as a penance. But since you guys are young, I'll give you an easy one.. Hmm. Lets see.." Lani looks up toward the sky, scratching her chin lightly with both eyes lost amid the clouds. She stands there for nearly a full ten seconds, just staring at the sky and scratching her chin. Another ten seconds pass, and she still hasn't moved. At this point, you're beginning to wonder if she's fallen asleep or what..

"Yiiiee!" Lani quite literally jumps straight into the air, rubbing her bottom. You look down and notice Moko putting his left paw back on the ground. "Why you?! How.. I can't believe you! Hmph. Well no tuna for you tonight you big mean kitty. Ah-ha! Infact, your training session for today is to catch Moko's tail."

The tiger's ears droop, it looks toward the two of you for a second, then toward Lani. It seems to scoff, or cough, you can't really tell which. The tiger turns right around and slowly begins walking away. You look up to see Lani laying in a tree branch. She seems quite content to lay with both arms wrapped around either side of the branch, and for all intents and purposes looks like a hunting panther waiting to pounce.

"Well go after him! And when you catch him, give it a good yank for me. Nyah~! Why did I get the temperamental tiger.."

[The Unborne]

Toshio

The body tenses up, the blood pumps, the heart skips a beat as Toshio hears his sensei’s command. Is she crazy? Moko can outrun us for days on end until we die of exhaustion! Think; think how can you get faster than Moko? The tiger uses an advanced technique, Yondan Kousaku, which I can’t keep up until I master Shodan Kousoku. The bandaged genin stops mid-thought and smirks. I have that jutsu…Good thing too that both Tora-sensei and Moko haven’t seen my true abilities yet.

To be honest, it felt wrong performing the move for two reasons. One, it was the move used by the Cloud-nin to capture him and his mother years ago; and two, he just told Samna that he didn’t know anything about half-seals. The genin brings his hand with his index finger and middle finger pointing upwards towards his face and then quickly brings the fingers down, creating a fist.

A cloud of dust is the only thing left where he stood. To some of the onlookers it may have seemed he simply broke up into a million pieces, but for those surveying the battleground they’d see right away he simply teleported five feet in front of Moko. Kuso! I overshot the technique! I guess I was too afraid I’d land inside Moko, that I chose a distance ahead of him. Oh well at least this will force him to go left or right and maybe Samna-san has a move that can block him off.

Toshio quickly forms another pair of signs and reaches for the dew glazed earth. The mud quickly forms into a ball in his hands and he aims for Moko in front of him. “Genwakudoro no Jutsu!” The earthen mud is flung from Toshio’s palm flying towards the beast’s head.

C’mon Samna-san show me you’re worth the wait…

Spoiler

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Shunshin (1d20+9=16) DC:15 = Success

Genwakudoro no Jutsu=Auto
Reflex Save/Negate DC: 20 <---Is the formula for DC, 10+ rank+ bonus from skills?

Convert Chakra to HP 1:1 No time Change (1d20+14=27) for Shunshin =Success

HP: 18/21
Chakra: 14/16
AC: 17
HSS: 2
Move Action: Shunshin no Jutsu
Attack Action: Genwakudoro no Jutsu

[El_Frenchie]

Sanma

Frowning, he wasn't sure himself of how fast this tiger was, but seeing the look on Toshio's face gave him a clue. That tiger must not be easy to catch or even hit. What's more, sensei would probably get angry if we were to use techniques that harm her pet. Sanma sighs heavily.

Then suddenly, a whole lot of things happened in a very short amount of time.

Looking at his teammate taking the first move, only one thing comes to his mind. His speed... unreal. He got there so quickly. And those seals... heh, keeping our trumpcards, eh? His eyes slightly wide, he looks to their position, they were definitely in range to give it a shot and he planned on using his own teammate to further the jutsu.

Making a seal, watching the tigers movements, he dashes forward, stopping at the appropriate distance and making a seal with two hands, his hair spiking up as he recomposes his Yin and Yang chakra.

"Ninpou: Kage Mane no jutsu!"

And he extended the shadow through his companion and makes it curve slightly, trying to block the left of the tiger, making for its shadow.

Let's see what you got, Tora. He smiles. Now he had only the right, or try to leap backwards somehow.

Spoiler

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Kage Mane no Jutsu: (1d20+10=30) Perform DC: 17 = Success

Range touch attack: (1d20+4=18)

HP: 25/25
Chakra: 11/15
AC: 12
Move Action: Move my speed.
Attack action: Kage Mane no Jutsu.

(Hopefully, this is what you need. I am completely noob at this. Hopefully I can move then Kage Mane.) //edit: And WOAH at my natural 20! xD

[ZeroNumerous]

Spoiler

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Save DCs are 10+Rank+Modifier as described on pg 185. Whichever stat mod goes with your skill. Taijutsu uses Strength. Ninjutsu uses Intelligence. Genjutsu uses Charisma. Chakra Control uses Wisdom.

Toshio's Initiative = 8
Sanma's Initiative = 12
Moko's Initiative = 15
I'll give Toshio a surprise round, for Shunshin, but other than that it'd be normal initiative.

Toshio stares into the animal's eyes as he appears after his shunshin. For a second, Moko has a wide-eyed, almost human-level, appearance of surprise. Then it's lips curl back and teeth bare in what can only be described as a grin. Toshio's hand gathers up the ball of mud and flings it, but Moko is ready for him. The ball splats against the ground as the tiger leaps to the side quickly.

Sanma and Toshio both keep their eyes trained on the black-and-white tiger standing before them. In a split second, before either of them even register the movement, Moko is gone. Toshio's eyes catch it long before Sanma even registers it moving away, primarily due to the assistance of the Katsugan. Because of his normal, human eyes, Moko quite literally looks to have disappeared to Sanma, leaving nothing behind but it's footprints. But Toshio's eyes were capable of seeing it move, though the tiger is long gone by the time the image is transmitted to his brain and deciphered.

Moko had leapt straight ahead, ignoring the obvious decisions of going left or right. Instead, it opted to vault over the young genin in it's path and scramble up the tree behind Toshio. The race was on, and unfortunately Moko had a head start and a hell of alot more speed than either genin.

THUD!

Lani falls out of the tree behind you guys, kicking and rolling on the ground. She's either laughing or seriously injured, you can't really tell which. But you can safely bet it's laughter, guessing from the tears streaming down her face and the deep crimson blush that obscures her features.

Spoiler

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El_Frenchie: I'll let you keep the 4 chakra you spent on Kage Mane, since you wouldn't have been able to act before Moko in initiative.

[El_Frenchie]

Sanma

Huh? Nani? It's vanished!

Looking around, the Genin tries to make sense of what happened. Damn those guys... they're so fast. This doesn't even look like anything I've ever seen before.

This kind of battle is a bad one for me, I've always been terrible at dealing with speed. This would be easier if our enemy was trying to attack us, because that would create openings. What should I do?

He closes his eyes for a second, then opens them more determined.

Taking something from his belt pouch, he slowly unscrews open the smoke bomb and drops it on the ground. A slight hiss escaping the device.

"Toshio. You find him, I think you've got more going for you in that area than I do. If you have a ninja-com device, set it to channel 12. Otherwise, I'll just have to keep up with you." A heavy red smoke fills the area progressively, concealing Sanma.

"Doton! Dochuu Engyou no Jutsu!"

Spoiler

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Doton! Dochuu Engyou no Jutsu! (1d20+10=23) DC: 16 = Success

HP: 25/25
Chakra: 13/15
AC: 12
Move Action: Smoke Bomb -1.
Attack action: Doton, Dochuu Engyou no Jutsu.

(I'm assuming this is soft ground by the way, since it's old training grounds with a couple of scarecrows, I hope that's ok.)

[ZeroNumerous]

Sanma

The genin disappears in a puff of smoke, then burrows into the ground and.. goes no where?

[The Unborne]

Toshio

Kuso! I never thought it would jump over me! Toshio turns around towards the sound of his partner’s voice, but before he can say anything the other genin had released a smoke bomb. He’s planning something…hopefully he has some better jutsus than me, mine are all damaging ones. Good thing he’s gone, now I can let loose the Katsugan. A slight pinch of pain crawls its way up to the bandaged genin’s head as his hands reach up for the linen covering his eyes.

With a quick motion the entire film flies off slowly falling to the ground. Of course Toshio saw it all, his eyes began to spin rapidly everywhere. The world he once perceived became more vivid and slower. My Shodan Kuosuko isn’t anywhere near completion, but I think I have something that’ll help a bit. With just a small bit of concentration, the genin focused most of his chakra in his legs. He could feel the muscles tighten up, being wrapped around with his chakra. Toshio felt lighter and let loose his new capabilities and ran straight forward, Katsugan taking note of everything he passed.

My priority is to find Moko and try to apprehend him. Samna will most likely surprise us both with whatever he’s doing in that smoke bomb, probably summoning up some insane jutsu. Hopefully.

Spoiler

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Chouyaku no Jutsu (Jumping Technique): Auto
Swift Action
Convert Chakra 1:1 No time spent: Auto

Full Round Action: Run
Speed: 35 feet= 140 feet moved
Spot (1d20+15=23)

HP: 18
AC: 17
HSS: 3

Bleh I hate diets…