Genin Encounter! Battle for the pride of Haigakure!

[ZeroNumerous]

Team 1

Kuro leads the three of you toward the Ancient Mysteries Boutique, but doesn't take you inside the store. He stops just in front of the shop, looking about and wondering about what was following them. For a second, he seems to contemplate the complexities of fighting his enemies here and now. At least, that is what you think flashes across his face when he doubles over and groans in pain. In a split second he's already standing back up, masking his pain with a goofy grin.

"Ha-ha.. Looks like my plan failed to draw them out.."

Of course, no one short of a moron would have been fooled by a lie that poorly put together. Rather than let you question, however, Kuro immediately begins moving toward the Memorial in silence.

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Senses roll, please.

Team 2

Kurina stomps past civilians toward the Memorial. She's quite obviously getting more and more angry the more she walks. It's possible that she's running through what Matasu would be doing and the conclusion she came to is just enough to infuriate the strong-willed woman. A little old man is foolish enough to not move out of Kurina's way, and what happens next is just what everyone expects from the Brutal..

She grabs the old man by the scruff of his neck, causing him to drop a half-finished bottle of either shochu or sake. The man squeaks like a disturbed mouse before Kurina haphazardly hurls him over her shoulder. Unfortunately, his path goes straight into the gut of Kyoshin..

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Grace+Build from Kyoshin. Grace from anyone looking to assist him.

[Rejakor]

Shimura Shin

Shin frowns. Something here is wrong. As he follows Kuro towards the memorial, his mouth tightens. What now?

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Senses - (3d6)[2][3][3](8)

[Gengy]

Kyouko Kyoshin

Kyoshin trundles after Kurina-sensei and the girls, to suddenly find an old-man being tossed in his face.

"I got you, Ojiisan!" Kyoshin tries to carefully catch the old man.

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Hands On Training!
(6d6)[2][1][2][4][1][4](14)

[AlienRat]

Natsumi blinks as an old man gets tossed at her team mate. Well, she isn't a fan of drunks, but she can't have Kyoshin hurt either, he just started coming out of the whole pacifism thing. She steps to the side so she doesn't have a chance of getting hit, but snakes one hand in to try to help cushin the impact of the flying elderly.

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Grace roll(3d6)[4][1][1](6)

[Phecto]

Shunrai stops and blinks as Kurina throws the old man "Um, sensei, should you really be assaulting citizens?" She doesn't try to intervene, she'd probably end up zapping them both or something instead of helping

[swordmaster2000]

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senses roll(3d6)[2][3][5](10)

[Faithdreamer]

(2d6)[7] To sense something amiss

[ZeroNumerous]

Team 1

The group heads further toward the Memorial. Kuro's grinning like an idiot, which is strange for the older shinobi. Very strange indeed..

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Buki notices that each time the four of you walk, a fifth set of footsteps echoes in time with your own..

Each of you also notice that Kuro is acting weirder than normal. It could be the fact that he's taken quite a few painkillers at the hospital..

Team 2

Kyoshin and Natsumi catch the drunk old man together. He grins widely and thanks you both. He then quietly slips away while rambling something about 'getting a good feel".

Kurina ignores any attempt to discuss the drunk man incident, though she appears to be wearing a deep shade of red across her cheeks. The blush doesn't disappear even as your group steps into the massive circle that is the Memorial.

Both Groups

The obsidian tower that bears the names of the dead looms over you. It stands much like a sentinel, guarding the way to the future by holding back the angry spirits of the past. Each group spots the other directly across the dirt circle that surrounds that obsidian guardian. For Team Two, Kuro-sempai seems to be acting rather oddly. More oddly than the last time you saw him amid the forest. For Team One, Kurina-sempai seems to be very upset with something or someone. And she seems to be blushing like a madwoman.

Kuro raises his hand, as if to wave toward Team Two, but a flash of movement stops him from doing so. Thats when something hits each and every shinobi standing at the circle..

.. There are no peasants here.

Not a single individual other than Team Two and Team One stands among the Memorial. Normally, people are passing through this area with quite abit of frequency. In fact, the Memorial was the busiest sector of town aside from the Academy.

Team Two

Kurina immediately assumes a defensive stance. She stands right in front of her team, placing her body between them and any potential attackers.

Everyone! Defensive positions!

That team over there. The quietness. None of this is right. We may already be caught in a genjutsu. That team may be fake, or they may be imposters. Or they might really be Team One.

Team One

Kuro's drug-addled brain reacts as any shinobi-mind would. He puts himself between his team and the enemy. Of course, he's holding no weapons other than his crutch, and stands completely unarmored.

Guys. This is probably a trap. Don't let them fool you, they've already pretended to be me once. Get ready and stay behind me. Ok?

[Faithdreamer]

Sayuri skipped still while Kuro got in the way. She bounced off her brother and lost her breath but she still had the mettle to spot the other team across from hers. As soon as she was done glaring at them her eyelids fluttered half-closed before a small demure bow did the trick. She shouldn’t bow too low it was just Brutal Kurina after all.
“Brutal Kurina-kun why doesn’t my brother see you anymore?” She smirked. “Your cooking was absolutely horrible, Mambo wouldn’t eat it after you catered at the graduation ceremony when you graduated with the other Genin, what’s so special that he has to save yours for magical ingredients?” As if that wasn’t enough, “Kuro says that he loves you and wants to kiss you, if you blush any redder he said he might come over there and marry you. Unless you want to marry me again, but I should say anything because your Genin, oh my goodness where has my tongue gone? Help I’m in a tongue-twister Jutsu!”

[Gengy]

"Um, I don't know Sayuri-san very well, but from what I do know, that's... that's pretty normal."

Weird, but normal. Kyoshin scratches his head, but steps up so that he is at a ninety degree angle from (the blushing) Kurina-sensei. If Natsumi and Shunrai were to follow suit, they would create a defensive box of ninja.

"Buki-san! If that's really you... what fruit do you fear most in my hands?" Kyoshin figures that tests are better than fighting, but if it comes to fighting... I just hope it doesn't. But I'll keep my promise.

[Rejakor]

Shimura Shin

Shin's eyes flick from the left to the right. Genjutsu? Gliding over the stones, without seeming to move, he is suddenly in front of Kuro, right hand raised in the seal for raising chakra, left curled into an odd clawed shape at his side. "You are in no shape to fight, Kuro-san." He speaks softly, eyes gazing without malice towards Kurina and the genin of team two. He seems perfectly at ease, the first time since he has met up with team one, and he is smiling, a soft smile that speaks only of calmness and contemplation.

[Phecto]

Shunrai turns to watch the rear, her elemental shield crackling into full strength around her and she floats up off the ground a couple inches. She smirks as she hears Sayuri's deluge of what seems to be her usual undecipherable nonsense. "I'd say at least Sayuri is the real thing, seems like it'd be hard to mimic that lunacy"

[swordmaster2000]

Buki shakes his head Geez, Kuro's going to be no help at all, and Sayuri-chan is, well... herself, hmm Shin-san seems sensible enough. while doing this pondering Buki is looking rather foolish facing away from team 2 in the opposite direction. He whispers to Shin Shin-san there is more to worry about here then the other team, I believe we were being followed and we should- Buki is cut off by Kyoshin's comment, recalling that fateful bannana filled day Buki spins around his face red with anger fire in his eyes. His staff is already out, and he looks ready to attack.

[Rejakor]

Shimura Shin

"Calm yourself, Buki. The great philosopher Shen Tsao Lu once said 'Nearly all traps are laid ahead'. If we are already trapped in genjutsu, then nothing need be as it seems. We can't trust our senses, even the other team may not be real." Shin's hand appears almost by itself on Buki's shoulder. "If we rush forward, we will be lost. We must hold our ground, make the enemy come to us." Shin seems calm still, his dark eyes lightened to a swirling green.

[AlienRat]

Natsumi steps up so her back is to Kyoshin's back and glances around. "Why is it always illusions.." She sighs and looks around waiting for some kind of order from her teacher. After a few long seconds of piecing Sayuri's comments together into a sensable format she looks over at Kurina, then Sayuri. "Our Sensei's are acting odd, we might be caught up in some genjutsu. And you pick now to talk of such things?" She sighs, again, and scans the roof tops of the surrounding area. Maybe its a stress trama thing..

[ZeroNumerous]

Team Two

"..Why you insolent little! I should come over there and--Ya, thats Sayuri all right! Hehe!"

Kurina sighs deeply, her blush only growing deeper. She moves to walk toward the other team, but her legs move with jerky half-stumbles instead of her casual walk. She wasn't like this earlier. In a scant few seconds, Kurina oversteps and begins hurtling toward the hard-packed dirt!

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Senses for Team Two. Grace for anyone who tries to catch her.

Team One

Kuro's face is red at this point, though it doesn't seem to be from embarrassment.. The young chuunin plops down on the ground hard, sitting straight up and laughing like a mad man. He sighs deeply, and seems to be acting like a drunk. Or, atleast, Sayuri would know that he was acting just like that time he tried to beat Kurina in a shochu drinking contest.

"It's.. *hic!* .. A. Drunken.. night.. technique-e-e~!"

Kuro falls backwards, snoring loudly. Between drunken Kurina and unconscious Kuro, they're both entirely useless. Now that your allies have been established.. It was time to breakthrough and grasp victory!

[Faithdreamer]

“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha you’re so funny!” She looked as if she’d tried to slink around Kuro’s ragdoll body if she hadn’t already tripped over it. Her fingers crept along until they were in one of his usual equipment pouches.

[Rejakor]

Shimura Shin

"Kuro-san!" Shin yells as he sees Kuro fall. He runs over to where Kuro's crumpled form lies, and checks his pulse. After he ascertains that Kuro is not dead, Shin stands, and folds his hand into the chakra seal across his chest, summoning large amounts of chakra, poking at his own mind, looking for the genjutsu he knows must be there.

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Second Portico: Compassion - expending 2 chakra to activate the jutsu.

OR (if the answer to the PM is 'no')

(3d6)[8] - Senses, looking for the small flaws present in even the most powerful genjutsu.

[Gengy]

"Ummm... what just happened? Kurina-sensei? Hello?" Kyoshin reaches out with one large arm and tries to slowly guide his sensei to the ground. "Natsumi-san, Shunrai-san, close the gap. And... and someone tell me what's going on. Are we... are we really in a genjutsu?"

Kyoshin moves and twists himself so that their square defensive stance becomes a triangular defensive stance, with Kurina-sensei's body in the middle.

Of course, this puts Kyoshin out front... Just the way it should be.

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Understanding... Will it come? (Senses)
(3d6)[4][3][6](13)

Let Kurina-Sensei fall down carefully (Grace)
(2d6)[4][6](10)

[Phecto]

Shunrai isn't really watching Kurina, since she's watching their backs. "Seeming like the genin are real, but maybe the instructors aren't or something has happened to them. Either way looks like it's going to be up to us. Anyone notice anything out of place or sense anything wrong? Anything to suggest this might be a genjutsu? I'm not reacting to it like that last one, at least not yet"

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Senses(2d6)[4][5](9)

[AlienRat]

Natsumi reaches over and just about puts her hand on Shurai's shoulder. Her hand stops for just a second, as if something occures to her. She shacks her head and finally lightly grabs the smaller girl's shoulder, pulling slightly to let her know silently they're moving. Her gaze doesn't stop just at kurina, but keeps looking.

She moves herself and Shunrai over to Kyoshin. But doesn't move to stop her teachers fall. Not that she's mean or anything, she just actually doesn't believe her teacher would fall on her face. "A technique, that gets you drunk? um.. That old guy was the only person Kurina-sensei had any contact with"

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Senses (3d6)[1][1][1](3)

[ZeroNumerous]

Team One

Kuro doesn't move as Sayuri digs through his belt-pouch. She finds several kunai, a book titled Highlander, and the keaton mask he had been wearing during the triathlon.

Shin searches throughout Kuro's chakra circulatory system for the effects of the genjutsu. His search, unfortunately, proves rather fruitless. Strangely enough, he does find a strong concentration of chakra in Kuro's eyes, more so than any normal individual should contain. It's almost like he had been the target of a doujutsu recently..

Team Two

THUD! Kurina hits the dirt and she hits hard. Strangely enough, the tall kunoichi is just laughing about it, despite the deep abrasions on her face that are already beginning to turn purple.

Thats when it dons on Kyoshin. The storm-shinobi was able to think and speak clearly. Which meant that the genjutsu they were trapped in wasn't aimed at them directly or else Shunrai would be reacting to the forced movement of her chakra.

Both Teams

Someone disables Kurina and Kuro. Both teams are stuck here. Leematsu was out and about by himself. Someone was following Team One.. It seems as if everything was coming to a head!

Both Kyoshin and Shin notice the fact that only their instructors were targeted, but people are still avoiding this area. Only one possibility comes to mind for both genin. The genjutsu in question is warding other people away, and had to have been made after each team arrived.

[Rejakor]

Shimura Shin

"Doujutsu!" Shin leaps backwards from Kuro's slumped form, executing a perfect standing backflip before landing away from team one and team two, right hand extended forward and straight, left hand held loosely by his side. "The genjutsu to keep the people away from the monument was created recently. And someone targetted Kuro-san and Kurina-sama with doujutsu recently, to have that effect on them." He opens his eyes, looking outward toward the trees and the forest. "You've already shown an aptitude for fighting with genjutsu. I won't be taken so easily this time. Show yourselves."

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Shin is officially expecting attack from the forest, and from any member of team's one and two. He's looking for hidden people in the local area.

(3d6)[5][6][1](12) - Sensing the hidden shinobi he knows are there.

[Gengy]

"Now this... this is bad." Kyoshin feels something swell inside of him, as he briefly glances down at Kurina-sensei. "It's as... Shin-san? (I think that's his name) shouted. A Jutsu targeted towards the sensei to take them out, while also keeping other people away. Be on your guards, girls. Looks like..."

Kyoshin flexes his ample muscles as he begins to scan the area. He reaches behind his back and pulls out a piece of broccoli, munching it down in an instant. Reshouldering his pack so that it's ready for combat, and sliding his feet into the familiar pose of the Strong Fist Stance, the large genin continues, "...looks like that fight I was avoiding just found us.

And I think I'm finally ready for it."

At least, I sure hope I am.

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Kyoshin gets ready for an attack. His first reaction will be to defend with Strong Fist Style jutsu if he himself is attacked. He doesn't bother watching the other team, just looks around the surroundings.

Some just in case rolls: (use 'em or don't, Zero)

Senses roll - (3d6)[4][5][1](10)
Mind roll - (2d6)[4][3](7)
Strong Fist Style - (9d6)[2][2][6][2][2][1][1][6][1](23)

[swordmaster2000]

Buki's staff already out he looks around warily looking to see a glimpse of the enemy ready for a fight.

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senses (3d6)[3][5][1](9)

[Phecto]

Shunrai glances back at Kurina on the ground and steps back over the top over her and crouches down, letting her own shield cover the chuunin. "I can cover both of us, so you 2 focus on watching each other and keeping yourselves safe and don't worry about Kurina for now. Anyone have an idea of how to get us out of this?"

[AlienRat]

Natsumi frowns faintly. Then taps Kyoshin lightly on the shoulder to get his attention. "Can you carry Kurina-sensei for us?" She moves to cover Kyoshin if need be, but she still doesn't see anything out there. But they have to do something, not just stand here waiting. She calls over to the other team. "Can one of you carry your sensei? We shouldn't just stand here. Lets try to get them to help."

[Rejakor]

Shimura Shin

Shin, from his space equidistant from the two groups and the memorial the fourth corner of an invisible diamond, speaks up taking care that his eyes never leave the wall of forest. "And walk straight into an ambush? No, unless you have some medical ninjutsu that says Kuro-sensei and Kurina-sama's lives are in danger, we are better to wait here, where we can at least see them coming. Moving, in the trees, we will be easy prey for their genjutsu." Shin stops for a second, his face inscrutable, but tensed and hard with an anger not encompassed by the tension of battle. He speaks again, but something odd has entered his normally calm tone. "Sayuri-san, Buki-san, I trust you can guard Kuro-sensei? I fear that... my presence would not do any of you good. In fact" His voice strengthens, as if he is trying to contain something. "I think it would be best if none of you were to come too close." Even though his back is to both parties, they can see now a faint growing darkness glimmering around the edges of his eyes.

Shin feels all the hatred, all the loathing, all the resentment, all the anger, rushing to the surface of his mind. Again, and again, he sees the dark shapes tormenting him. "Time to learn what it feels like." He mutters under his breath, as darkness pools on his palms and drips down towards the distant ground.

[AlienRat]

Natsumi sighs, and shrugs. "I don't need a medical jutsu for that. They're helpless out in the open. So are we." She looks at Kyoshin. "Lets atleast get Kurina-sensei someplace where we can put are backs to a wall, please. Shunrai and I will cover you." But that pretty much went without saying.

[Gengy]

Kyoshin nods, and backs his way into Kurina-sensei's prone form, still looking out for danger. Once the heel of his bare foot taps Kurina's body, the large genin leans down and picks her up over his back in a fireman's carry.

"Up we, go, sensei. I guess now is an ok time to mention this, cause it's been bugging me... but you left your dinner cooking back there." Kyoshin knows he wasn't supposed to mention that, but if he didn't get it off his chest at some point, it would eat at him until he did. Now at least he's said it... and if Kurina-sensei wakes up because of it, well, all the better.

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Still ready to defend himself, just slightly hampered now.