[Graded][Mission] Stratostorm

[Zasadel]

A stormy night loomed over Kumo, thunderous booms and the hiss of heavy rains pouring across the village tops. Tonight was the night. Every flash of lightning illuminated the nestled village, and a masked figure stood over a cliffside, observing the man known as Jeiku. A darkened cloak rustled into the wind. Stereotypical, but it got the job done. "Hmm knowledgeable. Eager to study. Need more bookworms, researches, investigators. Subject is twenty. One hundred seventy seven centimeters. Seventy two kilos. Orange hair. Observed for ninety four hours, twenty three minutes. Approachable. Isolated. Perfect time to initiate the test." The man whispered to himself, the warmth of the summer air brisk against the moisture in the air. It was time.

He leapt from the cliff, landing upon a near by home. He then leaped roof to roof, until directly over the man, knowing upon routine he would be leaving his apartment soon for a walk, unless the subject in question had altered his routine. Would be problematic. Awaiting further movement. Command on standby, chakra molded. At the ready. The man prepped two kunai, one in each hand and crouched low, watching closely as the rain slowly started to catch up from the far side of the village. More lightning flared, thunder booming hard in the mountains. This would be a test by combat, as pre investigations have yielded that the subject had passed. It was time to see if he could hold up. An emergency mission was sent to Jeiku. It was a D-rank distraction, simply that a message had to be delivered into the deep mountains of Kumo, but it had to be done this night specifically. In reality it was a distraction.

[Trucro]

Jeiku yawned. He had been sleeping after a day of training when he received the message. The mission he was given was a complete joke. Delivering a message some kilometers into the mountains! That was a job for a Genin. And they reached out to him specifically for this mission! Someone in the Raikage’s administration must not be very fond of him; Jeiku would have to look into what he possibly could have done to merit such an enemy in such a powerful position.

But there was nothing Jeiku could do about it for now, so he stretched, strapped his trident to his back, and headed out. As he left his apartment, he heard a loud bang, thunder that clouded out the sound of everything else. As the thunder subsided, Jeiku could clearly hear rain beginning to fall. “Great,” Jeiku thought. Now he’d be wet while running this errand. He sighed as he began walking through the dark towards the rain. There was no one on the streets; everyone else must have been smart enough and lucky enough to avoid the outside in the dark of night during a thunderstorm. Lightning flashed in the sky, revealing the rain was closer than Jeiku thought. He closed his eyes as he embraced the rain. The first few drops fell on his face and he turned his face away for a moment, to prevent the rain from covering up his glasses.

Boom! Thunder cracked again, and Jeiku let out another sigh. “Better to get this over with,” Jeiku reminded himself as he headed away from his home, unaware of what was about to happen.

[Zasadel]

The hooded man continued to pursue Jeiku, watching him quite closely. He was to brave the storm after all? That was a good sign for someone under a test. He kept himself to the shadows, making sure not to be in any compromising positions from the lightning striking behind them. He would not assault him while inside Kumo, but he most certainly had challenges laid up from him. What was more important to this shinobi. The mission? His comfort? His village? Time would tell.

As Jeiku continued on his path, the man prepped hand seals, timing it just right that once the lightning struck and the thunder boomed, it would hit with the Genjutsu's effect. He was going to test the shinobi to see how long it took him to realize he wasn't going to end up going in circles; it was merely an illusion. He had previously set up physical barriers, generally debris and signs that proclaimed "path closed". It was going to be interesting to see how Jeiku would react. After all, he wasn't aware of the test.

Jutsu usedShow

*[Genjutsu • Sly Mind Affect]
C-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
This is a genjutsu technique which causes the target to travel around in circles. The user of this technique will form the needed seals and then make a loud bang with something nearby. After the target hears the noise, this genjutsu takes effect. If the ninja is unable to detect the illusion very quickly, they can become exhausted mentally and physically when they are unable to reach their desired target by traveling along the same path over and over. This jutsu lasts for 7 posts, or until dispelled, and cannot be used in combat.

[Trucro]

Jeiku sighed as the rain began to come down more heavily. Jeiku placed his hands over his head as he continued towards the outskirts of the village. Lightning struck, and soon after thunder boomed. Jeiku paused for a moment before dropping his hands to his sides. If he was going to get wet, there was no point in fighting it. He continued walking towards the edge of the village, passing the entrance to the zoo, and then the inn. He passed the bar where he used to spend a lot of time before relaxing his alcohol content, although he could really use some right now.

He stepped forwards, a little faster this time. Apparently this was an urgent mission; it was certainly a D-Rank mission, but they wouldn’t have sent him on this mission at this hour if it wasn’t important, and it was taking him some time to get out of the village. He looked back for a moment before turning forward, and beginning to move even faster, heading down the road towards out of town; or so he thought.

[Zasadel]

The man continued to pursue his target, observing him. He hadn't quite picked up on what had happened just yet, but if Jeiku's intelligence was any indication; it wouldn't be long. He kept quietly out of site and made notes, memorizing every little decision that Jeiku made. It wouldn't be long now, he was certain, and once he finally caught on with what was going on, it would be combat time. The man kept his hood up and mask while the thunderous roar of the storm boomed across Kumo. Rain would start to fall, masking any chance of smell or hearing the man.

What will he do if he figures out he's in a Genjutsu. Will he try and bait me? Dispell it? Subject suggests a multitude of options. Will not underestimate. The man thought to himself, scratching his chin a bit. If he did anything more he risked dispelling his own Genjutsu. For now, patience would have to prevail until Jeiku made his next move.

[Trucro]

Jeiku continued running towards the edge of the village. He knew something was wrong; the city couldn’t have grown significantly larger without him noticing. What had happened? He passed the community center and then… the entrance to the zoo, and then the inn. He stopped in his tracks. He was running in circles. But it wasn’t voluntary; he couldn’t have made that mistake, not him.

It was then he understood: this was some sort of genjutsu. Jeiku thought for a moment; if there was genjutsu, that meant there was a caster, and the caster couldn’t be far. But why would anyone use genjutsu on him? If that was true, an enemy had infiltrated the city; someone who was skilled enough not to set off the alarm, which meant Jeiku would have to do it. Of course, while the genjutsu was still active, he wasn’t certain he’d be able to get anywhere.

So he had three choices. The first was to wait until the genjutsu wore off, but there was not guarantee when that could be, and the longer he waited the more dangerous his situation. His second option was to try to dispel the jutsu. However, Jeiku knew his genjutsu skills were sub-par, and it was likely he wouldn’t be able to dispel it at all. So that left his final option; to find the caster. Jeiku was the only one on the street, so the caster was either inside a nearby building, or on the rooftops. Jeiku looked up at the rooftops for just a few seconds, but it was far too dark for him to see anything.

It was then Jeiku formulated a plan. It was possible the caste was still watching him. So, Jeiku walked over to a nearby building, the bar, taking shelter under its protruding roof. He was already soaked, but the roof wasn’t just to get out of the rain; it was also to hide from any possible enemies. If the caster was watching him, the ninja would likely move to see what Jeiku was doing. That would significantly limit the area on the rooftops that anyone could be watching from; only the areas that could view beneath the roof of the bar. He sat down on the dry ground, and watched the rooftops he could see. If the caster didn’t appear, Jeiku would have to come up with something else.

[Zasadel]

The man continued to linger, watching and observing the Chuunin's every move. "Subject appears to be on to me and figured it out. Taking care to not be spotted. Subject also appears inept at dispelling Genjutsu, despite possible theories due to intellectual habits. Observed and reported." The man whispered, gazing out from over a nearby rooftop. Slowly, he crouched himself enough to where it would be quite difficult to be seen unless it was known he was there. More crackles of lightning blasted over the horizon, illuminating the area as rain started to fall heavier and heavier by the moment. The man's dark green emerald eyes stared and made note of the Chuunin's movements.

Once the Chuunin migrated to another roof, just out of his line of site, the man nodded. "Confirmed. Subject is aware he's in a Genjutsu. Has yet to dispell. Trap likely. Pursuing with caution." He beamed, sliding up and quickly navigating in the darkness. The last thing he wanted was the flash of lightning to reveal his position..not just yet. As a distraction, he tossed a kunai to the far roof, hoping it would time before the thunder roared.

[Trucro]

Jeiku had been waiting under the roof for less than a minute when he heard something behind him: cling! Jeiku heard it clearly, even through the storm. He recognized the sound, it was a shuriken, or kunai. Jeiku had been correct; there was someone following him. He wasn’t sure what that person’s plan was, but whatever was happening, that person was acting. Jeiku had to do something quickly if he wanted to get control of the situation.

Quickly, Jeiku weaved three hand seals. In a small puff of smoke, a clone with the same features as Jeiku appeared. As soon as it did, Jeiku leapt up, grabbing a beam that protruded from the roof, holding himself just beneath it. He took a deep breath as his clone emerged from the cover of the roof, running into the street. Jeiku quickly had to shift himself; the beam he had grabbed on to would likely not be able to support his weight entirely for long, so he pushed his legs up into the corner of the roof. He could feel his hands slipping. He wouldn’t be able to hang on for long. He just had to hope that whoever it was that was following him would decide to follow the clone.

If the plan worked, Jeiku would turn the tables, and be able to hunt the hunter.

UsedShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Clone Technique]
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
After completing a set of handseals, the user forms a slight chakra 'body', thus creating a single, massless clone. The clone created from this technique is very basic and will dissipate when hit with anything. These clones do not possess vital signs or a unique chakra signature, meaning they don't disrupt the environment, and anything on their person is superficial. The clone has 1 in each stat. They are limited to basic movements.

[Zasadel]

The man watched from his blind spot as what appeared to be the Shinobi ran out into the street. "Too obvious. Definitely a trap." He said aloud, the storm raging above and around them. It was time to really test the shinobi. Despite knowing it was a trap. albeit an obvious one, what the man didn't know is that it was a clone. Not just bait. He flung from the shadows and launched three shuriken that impaled into the shinobi...only for it to poof into smoke. A clone? Interesting.

He hopped from his rooftop and observed his surroundings, having lost track of the real shinobi. Interesting indeed. He scanned around to the best of his ability, kunai drawn into his hand while cautiously walking through the small courtyard area in which Jeiku had figured what was going on. What would be the plan of attack?

[Trucro]

Jeiku counted under his breath to five after his clone left the cover. He grabbed the edge of the roof, and swung down, dropping from the beams, holding himself up on the outside side of the roof. Jeiku pulled himself up. He moved quickly, to the other side of the building, hiding behind the incline of the roof, his footsteps hopefully covered by the sound of the rain. Now, atop the roof, he looked out. His clone was moving at a moderate speed, as fast as the clone could go Jeiku supposed. Then, all of a sudden, several shuriken flew at his clone; Jeiku couldn’t tell exactly from where.

But then the stalker emerged, stepping into the open. Jeiku had him now. He blew through several hand seals before reaching behind him and grabbing his trident. The tip of his trident glowed blue with lightning. He took aim, narrowing his eyes, and released a bolt of lightning flying towards the intruder. The force pushed Jeiku back a little; the wet roof was not the most stable of positions. But Jeiku adjusted his footing slightly, as the jutsu ended, and re-stabilized himself.

UsedShow

*[Lightning Element • Rifle Technique]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After completing a set of hand seals the user will either focus chakra into a bladed weapon or index finger. He/she then points his/her hand (or the tip of his/her weapon) at the target and fires off a bolt of lightning that travels out a max of five meters. The lightning bolt itself will only cause minor damage, but due to the speed of the attack the impact is more than enough to knock the air out of someone or send them backwards about five meters as if they had just been rammed into. The opponent can resist being knocked backwards if they have a strength stat that is at least equal to the user's control stat. The speed of this bolt is equal to the user's control stat with a max of 8.

[Zasadel]

The man flipped aside just in time, impressed that the Shinobi used his surroundings just as he should. He skidded against the wet pavement, cloak flailing in the growing wind, looking up from behind a kabuki mask. "Response time eight point four seconds. Calculation estimate less then twenty seconds, plan divisory within prime conditions. Impressive. Subject proves surprising as initial reports show." The man stated aloud, before standing into a stance, kunai in hand. "Before you migrate to your choices, know that you do NOT know if your life is in danger. I will not reveal who I am. I will not be merciful." The man finished, before prepping hand seals. He then threw the kunai, before spinning into a flurry of shuriken that rocketed toward Jeiku, the shuriken falling in like a swarm of angry locusts as they zeroed in on the kunai. Assuming the shinobi would dodge, he then rolled to the side and observed, throwing yet another kunai charged in the opposite direction of the first, making almost a scissor maneuver that placed Jeiku dead center of the killbox.

JutsuShow

*Magnetize - Small
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Magnetize - Tiny
After performing a series of hand seals, the user channels Jikiton into an object or terrain they are touching. If the object is the size of a basketball or smaller, it is instantly Magnetized. Otherwise, this technique creates a patch of magnetized terrain (E.g. walls, earth, stone etc.) at a rate of 6 square inches a post. These objects or patches are highly magnetic, attracting metal and other Magnetized objects within 10 feet with a strength of 5 and a speed of 6. This technique lasts a number of posts equal to the user's Stamina stat. If the object/area is struck with a katon technique, it will no longer be Magnetized.

[Trucro]

"Before you migrate to your choices, know that you do NOT know if your life is in danger. I will not reveal who I am. I will not be merciful." The words rang in Jeiku’s ears. Who was this guy? He didn’t have time to figure out. The ninja released a kunai at him, followed by a barrage of shuriken. Jeiku took one step away, planning to dodge, before the opponent dived to the side, releasing another kunai. He had nowhere to go.

Jeiku quickly went through a group of hand seals, holding the last one. As the weapons approached, Jeiku poofed into a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a wooden slab remained, kunai and shuriken sticking out. Jeiku himself dropped down behind the building. He wasted no time, running towards the edge of the building where there was an alleyway between that building, and the next one. As he did, he prepped several hand seals. Turning the corner, he finished the final seal.

He extended his arms, creating a ball of storm in the center of his arms. He was sure the opponent would see him before he could release the attack, but this move would have the best chance of doing damage. As the ball reached about seven inches in diameter, it fired forward three streams of liquid lightning, all moving towards the opponent.

JutsuShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Change of Body Stance Technique]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After completing the necessary handseals, the user is able to quickly substitute his/her body with a nearby object that is at least 2/3rds his/her size, but no bigger than their body. This substitution allows the object to take the force of the attack that was meant for the user, additionally allowing the user to create distance between him/her and the opponent. The object used in this jutsu may not be objects that are imbued with chakra or controlled by it, and they may also only be single, solid objects within a 20 yard radius of the user. This technique may only be used a total of one time in a single thread, give or take how many times Shunshin no Jutsu has already been used.

*Laser Disco Technique
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: At least 5 other Storm Style techniques, *Laser Spotlight Technique
An advancement of the well known and respected Storm technique, the user first performs several hand seals and then spreads their hands out wide, several strobe-like balls of Storm sliding out of every finger on both hands and then collecting into a head sized ball of Storm in the middle of both hands. It is then launched forward into three beams of Storm with a speed equal to the user's (ninjutsu+control)/2, to a max of 8. Each beam can be controlled limtedly over it's 40 foot distance just like the originating technique, though these beams can make one sharp turn during this control. These three beams of storm are like lances, piercing through up to six inches of rock each and easily cutting through most weaker defenses. As a focused technique the user cannot perform any other jutsu and must hold their hands in the formation position for this technique or the beams will be interrupted and dissipate, they can also be interrupted by damage to the user.

[Zasadel]

The man raised an eye and rolled into a hand spring, jumping just out of the way as the storm jutsu blasted into where he once stood, skidding to a halt as he looked up at the man. "Interesting. Reaction time good. Rationality good. Next attack." The man said aloud before dashing forward at Jeiku. He formulated more hand seals before blasting an orb of his own forward, straight at Jeiku before spinning two shuriken up, tossing them just behind.

The idea was if Jeiku countered or let it hit him, anything metallic on him would magnetize, and spell bad news for someone going against a Jikiton user. The man kept his pursuit, dashing in a serpentine maneuver at impressive speeds, ready to follow up or counter whatever Jeiku would prepare next. It would appear it was Taijutsu time, unless Jeiku had something up his sleeve.

JutsuShow

*Projection - Tiny
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Magnetize - Tiny
A ranged alternative to the 'Magentize' jutsu line, the user of this technique performs the correct hand seals before firing an orb of Jikiton with a five inch radius at 6 speed. This orb magnetizes the first thing it comes into contact with as if with Magnetize - Tiny.

[Trucro]

Jeiku watched his opponent carefully. The invader dodged his attack with ease before releasing his own; he was fast, faster than Jeiku. A glowing orb of…. Jeiku couldn’t tell what it was made of. But he didn’t have time to think about it; he needed to act. He reached behind him, grabbing his trident, and bringing forward. He swing almost wildly, smacking his weapon into the orb as well as the kunai.

Having blocked the attack, Jeiku began planning his next assault as quickly as possible. He analyzed the opponent as quickly as he could in just a second or two. The opponent was fast, and capable of sending jutsu out at a great speed, so Taijutsu did not seem to be in his favor. It wasn’t clear how powerful the jutsu the opponent could use was, after all, Jeiku could block it with just his trident. Jeiku also noticed that the man had been watching him carefully; if he wanted to avoid Taijutsu, Jeiku could use that to his advantage.

He quickly weaved the hand seals before holding the final one, releasing his chakra into the Genjutsu. If this attack worked, it would be extremely helpful, possibly even allowing Jeimu’s next attack to be all but a guaranteed hit.

JutsuShow

*[Genjutsu • Mist Servant]
D-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
Often used in conjunction with other techniques, the user will form the needed hand seals, causing anyone who sees them to be caught. At that point, several dark, oily shapes will seem to emerge from the surrounding walls, trees, or whatever there is, and attack from different directions. These attacks cannot harm the viewer but may confuse them and make them feel disoriented. If any of the servants are successfully attacked it will disrupt the genjutsu and lower the post count by 1. Attacking the user, despite his or her disguise, will end the jutsu. This jutsu will last for 3 posts otherwise.

[Zasadel]

The man watched closely as Jeiku hit the orb with his trident. Not a good idea. Immediately, the man flung handfuls of Kunai, roughly eight total as they blasted towards the now magnetized weapon. As if in reply, Jeiku had activated a Genjutsu. "Hmm so he's to try Genjutsu. Target is versatile. Excellent." The man stated, formulated chakra seals and causing the Jutsu to immediately vanish from site. Had he not also been versed in Genjutsu, that would of been a fantastic method in which to attack. The man then began to pick up anything metallic and small in nature. Trash can lids, kunai, shuriken, everything he could find within his reach or arsenal and threw it at Jeiku. The massive amount of weaponry and junk immediately began to react and bolt toward's his trident. This was going to make quite a conduit for Raiton jutsu; and it was up to Jeiku to figure this out.

JutsuShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Kai Release]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A rather simple technique that allows the user to escape from a genjutsu. The stat requirements for this technique can be found in the genjutsu rules.

[Trucro]

As soon as Jeiku completed the genjutsu, he noticed the kunai flying towards him at a great speed. He shot to the right in an attempt to dodge the knives. He thought he had made it, but at the last moment, the kunai curved out of their path, turning towards him. Jeiku had not time to respond. The first kunai just grazed Jeiku’s back as it moved towards hi trident. The second landed square in his upper left hand shoulder. The third hit his left calf, and the fourth, his left hip. The next two both swung wide, barely missing him as they curved past him. The seventh grazed the back of his neck, leaving a shallow cut, and the final kunai cut the bottom front of his right leg in a similar manner. Jeiku cringed in pain before raising his right arm and leaning against the nearby wall.

But he didn’t have time to catch his breath. The opponent had already released his genjutsu; Jeiku had little time to figure out what was going on. Were the kunai controlled with chakra strings? No, they wouldn’t have curved that way if they were. It must have been Jikiton magnetic jutsu; Jeiku had read about it some time ago, but he had never seen it. What on him was magnetized? Perhaps it was his entire body. No, it couldn’t have been the curvature of the knives were all heading in one direction, not equally dispersed around his body, dispite the differences in their original trajectories. It was something on him, but what was it?

He didn’t have the time to come up with the answers. Just like with the kunai, a hoist of metal objects came flying towards Jeiku. This included kunai, as well as everyday metal objects like trashcan lids. There was no way to escape. Jeiku weaved several hand seals quickly before raising his arms. He could feel the metal kunai in his skin shift as he raised his left arm. Several drops of liquid lightning emerged from Jeiku’s hands and began to spread out before connecting creating a shielded dome roughly seven feet in diameter around Jeiku. As the metal hit it, the dome reacted, sending streams of storm piercing through them.

JutsuShow

Tesla Dome Technique
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming hand seals the user of this technique quickly pulls their hands up and focuses, droplets of Storm forming in the air and connecting together around the user to form a seven foot diameter dome around themselves. This defensive dome looks like a shimmering sheet of liquid lightning all around the user and while it is thinner than most defenses, making it a little less capable, it retains all of Storm's properties. Even touching the barrier inspires a backlash like being stabbed with kunai all over the offending limb or object, allowing this backlash to serve as a stopgap for the overall weak defense of the technique by ripping apart incoming solids or taijutsu techniques. What it can defend against is subjective but it can defend against at least 5 strength worth of damage, but no matter what the object that hits the dome is getting backlash even if it breaks through cleanly. The exception to this is Suiton techniques as they wash the dome away. The dome lasts for 5 posts unless destroyed.

[Zasadel]

The man raised an eye, not that Jeiku could see, and soon headed over to the dome. He crouched and looked at Jeiku, giving a small clap. "Subject has made an excellent defense. Jutsu intact. Appears to be channeled and utilized defensively. Analysis predicts Storm Chakra based on coloration and properties. Impressive. Very impressive." The man spoke, before picking up a small rock off the roof. He tossed it lightly at the barrier, watching it get zapped and flung aside like a cotton ball. He then chuckled and began to circle Jeiku, letting him recooperate. Jeiku didn't know this, but he was in no real danger.

"Subject 15, Jeiku Hatsuharu. You're faced with an assailant, seemingly superior in just about every way. You're now behind a jutsu that appears to be formidable, but not impenetrable. While I could go to the offensive and figure a way to overpower it, I'll instead use this to interrogate you. What is it you desire as a shinobi? Power? Strength? Or are you more heroic? Courage? To protect the weak? What makes you tick. I want to know. Faced with an advesary you cannot overcome, what drives you to keep fighting?" The man spoke out, rough and deep. The unfortunate part for Jeiku was there was a massive storm overhead, and while it was generally hard to hear him, that wasn't his biggest problem. Rain drops spilled down and washed across his barrier, starting to dissolve it little by little.

[Trucro]

Jeiku was breathing heavily as the intruder spoke to him. He tried to continue to have his barrier maintain its power, but the rain was causing a problem; water weakened his storm techniques, and eventually, it would wash the jutsu away, no matter what Jeiku did. He was beginning to run low on chakra. He had, what, about a third of his chakra left; maybe even less now. His Tesla Dome technique was a complex jutsu, and took up a lot of chakra.

He looked up at his opponent as he finished talking. What was this man talking about? Why was he asking these questions? He appeared to stop attacking for the moment; who was he? Jeiku decided he could try to use this time to find out. All the pieces had to be there. The intruder’s goal was not to destroy or steal something from the village; if it was he would have continued attacking, making sure Jeiku was gone before going through his mission more quickly. He could have been on an intelligence mission, perhaps from another village. However, he knew the Jikiton techniques, which, Jeiku had read, were known only to Kumogakure and her shinobi. That meant, he had to be a missing ninja, or at least, that seemed more likely. But he only knew of a few missing ninja from the Cloud Village, and this man met none of those descriptions. That didn’t mean he wasn’t a missing ninja, rather that Jeiku did not have the information to determine who he was. The intruder was waiting, and in order to buy himself time, he decided to answer.

”I come from a non-shinobi family; my parents were not shinobi, my grandparents were not shinobi. I am not from a ninja clan, I am nobody’s rival, and I am subject to no expectations. Power, and strength? They are useless without purpose. And there can be only one justified purpose for pursuing these virtues: to use these virtues to make the world a better place.” Jeiku was still breathing heavy. The top of his dome began to fade away, revealing a coffee mug sized hole in the top of his shield. He hoped his opponent wouldn’t notice. ”And you?” Jeiku stared at his opponent. ”What inspires you to attack a village? Power? Wealth?”

[Zasadel]

The man merely chuckled and laughed at his question. "Attack a village? No. If I was attacking a village, why would I start with a random Chuunin running a mission? I would start at the top. You don't grab a snake at the tail, you cut off it's head. But riddle me this, how do you intend to make the world a better place? Do you believe in Kumo? Or do you have your own agenda? How far are you willing to go to get the job done and to better this world?" The man reiterated, pacing around and circling the quickly depleting dome. This fight as definitely over, but the man required more answers. What was Jeiku intending to fight for? The village? A purpose? What means would he go to achieve them?

The storm crackled and lightning flashed ever harder, wind still picking up until it was quite gusty, rain splashing against the buildings. Nobody could come to Jeiku's rescue in this storm, unless they specifically knew of this event. The man brushed the rain from his mask, his vision starting to blur from the increasingly poor weather conditions. Even with the storm, he didn't want to risk a bystander seeing whats going on.

[Trucro]

Jeiku continued to struggle to maintain his shield as the intruder spoke to him. Now Jeiku was confused; was he lying about being an intruder? He had figured the man had attacked him because Jeiku discovered him, but perhaps it hadn’t been that way at all. If this was true, then why did he attack Jeiku? He couldn’t focus enough to both keep his storm dome up and come up with an answer. He would need to buy himself more time, and answer the man’s questions while he continued to try to understand his situation.

”I…” Jeiku took a deep breath. The whole in his dome above his head began to expand, allowing the rain to begin to drip on Jeiku’s head. ”I believe in the Raikage, and the Village. Of course, my allegiance is to Kumogakure. And you? If you’re not an invader then who are you? Why would you attack a Cloud Ninja?”

As he asked this, he dropped his left arm to the ground, releasing the dome. He couldn’t hold it any longer, and as the liquid storm disappeared, Jeiku felt a barrage of cold water brush against his body.

[Zasadel]

"Mmm my background is of no concern to you. But you appear to need to do some quite critical thinking in the road ahead as a shinobi. You'll meet me again some day. Possibly even soon." The man grinned as he migrated behind Jeiku. With a strong chop of his hand, he slammed it into the back of Jeiku's head to disorient him before heading off into an unknown direction, leaping from roof to roof before vanishing into the night. It was now up to Jeiku to either press onward and complete his "mission" or to seek medical attention. The choice was his.

[Trucro]

Jeiku’s vision blurred as the man disappeared from his sight. The muscles in his neck released, and his head drooped down. He shook himself back to normal before limping out of the alley he had been fighting in. He placed his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths. The rain was still beating down heavily, and Jeiku took cover under the roof of the bar once again. Sitting on the porch, he slowly attended to his wounds, removing each of the kunai from his left side one by one. None had made it very far into his body, and his wounds were all superficial.

After a short break, the next question became; should he complete his mission, or not? It was a D-Ranked and he had been wounded, but it was marked urgent. Still, Jeiku decided that it was probably more urgent to report this invading ninja; after all, taking down a ninja like that would at least be an A-Ranked mission, something Jeiku was unable to carry out. He rushed to the local police headquarters and reported the assault; Jeiku hoped that this would bring out some higher ranking Cloud Ninja to hunt down and kill the intruder.

After reporting the attack Jeiku decided to continue his urgent mission. He had lost an hour or so, but that hopefully wouldn’t be too much of a problem. He ran down the streets of the village, leaving the village as the rain downpour continued.