The moon hung full and bright above the valley, a great silver coin pressed into the velvet-black sky. Its pale light fractured through the mist, splintering into a thousand luminous threads that wove through the air like the gossamer strands of some celestial spider. The entire valley was bathed in an eerie, diffused glow—beautiful and treacherous, turning the world beyond an arm’s length into a shifting tapestry of half-seen shapes and phantom movements. Shadows, weak and scattered, pooled like spilled ink beneath the trees, their edges blurred by the mist. But the light was just enough for them to cling to the earth—a fleeting advantage for the Nara among them, whose art thrived in the dance of darkness and light.
The river was a living thing tonight. Its rapids gnashed against jagged teeth of obsidian rock, their edges honed by centuries of relentless current. White foam frothed and hissed, churned into ghostly lace that writhed upon the surface before being dragged into the depths. No ordinary man could cross here—not without chakra thrumming through their soles, anchoring them against the water’s hungry pull. One misstep, and the river would claim them, crushing flesh against stone in its frothing maw.
To the west, the cliffside rose like the spine of some long-dead leviathan, its weather-pocked face studded with pines that clung stubbornly to the rock. Their roots clawed through fissures in grotesque mimicry of veins, as though the mountain itself bled sap and splintered wood. High above, their canopies swayed in the night wind, casting ever-shifting patterns across the stone—patterns that could hide a figure, distort a silhouette, or conjure phantoms from the corner of the eye. A fine place for an ambush, were they the ones lying in wait. But tonight, the cliff was a distraction, a feint. Their true trap lay elsewhere.
The eastern bank was the only viable crossing—a narrow stretch of gravel and silt, barely wide enough for three men to walk abreast. To one side, the river snarled and snapped; to the other, the forest pressed close, its ancient trees leaning over the path like hunched sentinels. Their branches, skeletal in the fractured light, twisted into gnarled fingers that seemed to reach for any who passed beneath. The undergrowth was a suffocating tangle of thornvine and rotting logs, the air thick with the crisp bite of river spray and the damp, fungal reek of decaying wood. The mist clung to it all like a burial shroud, muffling sound—the river’s roar dulled to a whisper, the rustle of leaves to a sigh.
The young Senju that had been sent after their target sat cross-legged on the banks of the river, his eyes closed and an expression of concentration on his face behind the cat-like mask that he wore as he formed a serpent seal with two hands. Roots began to grow from his crossed legs and burrow into the dirt, allowing him to draw the Nature Chakra from the world around him and mix it thoroughly with his own. Black markings slowly appeared on his face, giving him a fearsome appearance, before his eyes opened to reveal irises that were glowing a bright gold. His sensory network laid--a technique that, combined with his exceptional chakra control, gave him an extraordinary 120 meters of sensory awareness in every direction--the young man got up and slowly took a step, separating his legs from the roots that had once bound him to the earth, causing them to shrivel and wither into desiccated husks.
Kaito moved along the bank like a specter, his wooden armor--the Armor of the Senju--gleaming faintly under the moon’s gaze, laying atop the traditional ANBU armor that he wore. A ghostly forest green aura clung to him, the telltale shimmer of chakra channeled without seals, his intentions as inscrutable as the mist itself. From his right hand, three small acorns dropped, vanishing into the earth with barely a sound. Each was a promise, a potential. He had no faith in luck, no patience for hope. There was no point in starting a battle without having won it beforehand--and therefore he would plan and prepare well before his target was even close to his sensory range.
He paused, scanning the ambush point with eyes that saw beyond the visible--sage-senses stretching into the land’s pulse, the chakra thrum of roots and rock. A stomp of his foot sent a web of roots spiraling through the soil in a fifteen-meter circle, silent and unseen. They would wait, as he waited, with nary a divot in the soil giving evidence to their presence beneath the ground. Until he called on them, they would remain unseen and inert.
Best case scenario was that he was able to trap his target in his initial attack, removing her ability to overcome him with speed, and he would be able to kill her without her ever becoming aware of his presence. Worst case scenario, the trap he laid wasn't enough to trap her and he'd be forced to blow up the Bakuhatsu Nuts he'd placed along the riverbank--an overwhelmingly powerful jutsu that was capable of creating a 50 [Strength] explosion--which should be more than enough to send the Fukusha to meet her ancestors, hopefully without destroying the eyes that were a primary mission objective. In any case, he was capable of modulating the explosive force--he'd use no more than needed in this case. In the end, whatever happened, he'd laid a trap that would not be easy to get out of.
One last glance at the killing ground. Then he melted into the trees, retreating a full 30 meters into the treeline and leaping up into the branches to disguise his presence.
Now, there was nothing left to do but wait.
OOCShow
*Mokuton • Bakuhatsu Nut
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By closing their palm and performing the correct hand seals with the other, the user can create 1 seed closely resembling a walnut with a 2-inch diameter. This seed is filled with chakra and has enough energy to detonate with a force of [Control] strength. The user can detonate seed via kai, but if not detonated within 3 posts, it loses its potency.
Mokuton • Bramblepatch
D-Rank Ninjutsu
The user will stomp his foot on the ground, causing a dense circle of roots with strength equal to the user's [Control] to begin growing beneath him at [Control] speed in a 15 meter radius. At the end of the jutsu’s duration or upon being kai’d, the roots push out of the ground at [Control] speed impaling through the feet of any targets in the circle's radius at [Control] Strength. This Jutsu entangles the feet of any target who gets impaled by the roots and holds them for 1 post.
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By closing their palm and performing the correct hand seals with the other, the user can create 1 seed closely resembling a walnut with a 2-inch diameter. This seed is filled with chakra and has enough energy to detonate with a force of [Control] strength. The user can detonate seed via kai, but if not detonated within 3 posts, it loses its potency.
Mokuton • Bramblepatch
D-Rank Ninjutsu
The user will stomp his foot on the ground, causing a dense circle of roots with strength equal to the user's [Control] to begin growing beneath him at [Control] speed in a 15 meter radius. At the end of the jutsu’s duration or upon being kai’d, the roots push out of the ground at [Control] speed impaling through the feet of any targets in the circle's radius at [Control] Strength. This Jutsu entangles the feet of any target who gets impaled by the roots and holds them for 1 post.
B-Ranked Jutsu:Show
Senpou Mokuton • Bodhisattva’s Wisdom
B-Rank Senjutsu
[Requires Affinity: Sensory]
[Requires Jutsu: Bodhisattva’s Palm]
After making the proper hand seals, the user gathers Nature chakra, balances it with their own, and enters a partial Sage mode. In order to do this, the user grows roots out of the bottom of their feet that will lock them in place for at least 1/2 of a post. While in this partial Sage Mode, the user has perfect 360 degree awareness of their surroundings for 60 meters in every direction, including every chakra signature, and can tell what chakra element they are channeling in the moment.
*Mokuton • Armor of the Senju
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After the user performs the necessary hand seals, the user will create mokuton armor that enshrouds the user in typical samurai garb/armor with the Senju clan symbol on the shoulders and back. This armor sprouts from the ground and wraps around the user at a speed and strength of [Control].
[Shadow Step • Hiding in the Trees]
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
This pseudo-camouflage technique allows the practitioner to blend in to any amount of foliage and move through the trees without disturbing the branches or causing noise. In order to visually detect the practitioner within foliage, the opponent must have a [Perception] or [Sensory] technique of equal or greater rank.
WC: 880
B-Rank Senjutsu
[Requires Affinity: Sensory]
[Requires Jutsu: Bodhisattva’s Palm]
After making the proper hand seals, the user gathers Nature chakra, balances it with their own, and enters a partial Sage mode. In order to do this, the user grows roots out of the bottom of their feet that will lock them in place for at least 1/2 of a post. While in this partial Sage Mode, the user has perfect 360 degree awareness of their surroundings for 60 meters in every direction, including every chakra signature, and can tell what chakra element they are channeling in the moment.
*Mokuton • Armor of the Senju
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After the user performs the necessary hand seals, the user will create mokuton armor that enshrouds the user in typical samurai garb/armor with the Senju clan symbol on the shoulders and back. This armor sprouts from the ground and wraps around the user at a speed and strength of [Control].
[Shadow Step • Hiding in the Trees]
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
This pseudo-camouflage technique allows the practitioner to blend in to any amount of foliage and move through the trees without disturbing the branches or causing noise. In order to visually detect the practitioner within foliage, the opponent must have a [Perception] or [Sensory] technique of equal or greater rank.
WC: 880
