[Graded]Some friend you are

[Jinan B]

5AM, Kusatsu. See you there.
Y

The Senju's hand shook as he read the contents of the note in his hands. It was just as it had been before; he had come in one evening only to find that one particular "friend" had done what he seemed to do best. This time however, Katsurama knew better than to alert his family; he knew who it was that had left the note and he knew why it was that he was to go to the village of Kusatsu. Nevertheless, the thought of the same person who had tortured him so severly so recently now calling him for training left a truly bitter taste in his mouth.

To put it simply, a day hadn't gone by since Katsu's recruitment into the ANBU that he hadn't thought about what had happened. Ibakuro, Yosuke had managed to strike at the very core of his deepest fears all in the spirit of testing the man's loyalty to Konoha, and the Senju hated him for it. It reminded him of how the village had shunned Kazuki for the act of putting his own life ahead of his duty to the village; more than that, it reminded him of his own weakness: the same weakness that forced his grandfather to do what he had done all those years ago. Had that been a real situation, both he and Kaoru would've been dead thanks to his lack of skill.

Such fear was probably the only reason that the Senju decided to leave the village at 2 that morning, leaving his family with the impression that he was off on his own private training. Even though it was almost true the lie stuck in his throat as he told it. It was something that he would have to get used to as a member of the ANBU, he knew, but that didn't mean that he would have to like doing it. Either way, Katsurama was sure that it'd only be a matter of time before his mother or father realized that not everything he told them was the truth; they were too sharp for him to deceive indefinately.

But in the end such thoughts only served to occupy the Senju's mind as he made his way towards the small village that neighbored Konoha. The sun had yet to rise by the time that he reached it, but the world had begun to approach the dull grey that came just before the sun. Failing to see the man who had caused his presence and hoping to calm the rush of anger and fustration that had been plaguing the Shinobi since he had first seen the note, Katsurama sat down on the step of the village's inn. All that he needed to do now was wait for Yosuke

[TyDie]

It had been about a week since the Senju's recruitment. Yosuke's brutal method of proving the man's loyalty had been frowned upon, and even been discovered by another. It had almost led to his position in ANBU being compromised, or worse; him being imprisoned and executed for treason. Not to mention the pain he had put the man through was the last thing Yosuke wanted to do to the poor Senju... But in his mind, he had to. It was the only way to be completely sure of his loyalties, Yosuke had been burned too badly by his former teammate to simply trust one's word.

Regardless, what was done was done, and now came the hard part; Yosuke had promised Takeo that he would ensure the man could fight. The past two instances where the two had scuffled, he hadn't seen much of anything from Katsurama. He was beginning to think the man had little ability to properly defend himself, and that bothered Yosuke. So of course, what better way to find out the truth then to drag him out in the early AM for a bit of covert training? Or as Yosuke was convinced, 'Katsurama's revenge'. In truth, he was mostly there as a training dummy; he didn't intend to fight back too much, he more or less wanted to see what the Senju was capable of... and give him his chance to exact a bit of revenge on Yosuke for what Yosuke had done to him and his sister.

So here he was, at the break of dawn, waiting on the roof of the Inn in Kusatsu for his ally's arrival. When he finally showed up, Yosuke could smell the unmistakable scent of wood emanating from his body. With a quick leap he hopped down from the roof with his back turned to Katsurama, turning around with a small smile as he greeted the man. "Glad you made it Katsu. It's really important to me, to us actually, that you made it out here. Follow me." Yosuke would then begin walking his way back towards the forest of Konoha, hopefully with Katsurama in tow behind him.

On the walk, a thought crossed his mind that brought a small grin to his face. "Ya might want to consider telling your family to be a bit more alert by the way. This is the third time I've broken in to your house, i'm getting quite good at it."

[Jinan B]

Clearly Katsu had been too caught up in his thoughts that morning, as he realized the second he saw Yosuke land right in front of him. On a better day he knew that he would have seen the man before deciding that he had been the first to arrive, but today was hardly one of his better days. It didn't look like it was going to improve anytime soon either, as the man's anger only increased after hearing his fellow Shinobi's side comment on his family's ability to detect intruders. That Yosuke was a skilled infiltrator Katsu could not deny, but that didn't exactly serve to improve his mood.

So it was that he picked himself up off the inn's steps with no more words than a sour sigh, and followed behind Yosuke as the pair made their way into the forests of Fire Country. With each and every step the need to somehow get back at the man who had so recently caused him so much pain increased. Here he was, so easily mocking the Senju and his family for their weakness and expecting nothing to come of it. By the time that the two of them had reached a clearning in the woods, and the demonic spider had stopped, it took everything Katsurama had to simply wait for Yosuke to turn around and face him.

Everything he had, and nothing more.

The second Yosuke turned his head, he would see not much more than the Senju's own fist as he moved to hit the man. The assault didn't stop there, however, and Katsu followed up his first punch with another one, this one to the Weaver's now expossed gut. He deserved what he got, for making the Senju believe that one of his trusted allies was nothing more than a traitor to the village.

The Shinobi spun around, delivering a heated kick to Yosuke's neck. He deserved what he got, for cutting off the man's hands and his legs all in the hopes of confirming his loyalty.

Back on both his feet, the Senju's elbow would find it's mark in Yosuke's chin. He deserved what he got, for going so far as to make the man think that his own family had been doomed by his choices!

His rage subsided for the moment, Katsurama glared at the man who would never truly understand what it was that he had done to the Senju. The man who decided that such actions would be ok even though he had family of his own. "Maybe I should show you what it's like to think that your family is dead, Yosuke. We'll see how ready you are to take a joke." He spat at the man.

[TyDie]

Yosuke led the two deep into the forest, but in the back of his mind he could practically feel the heat radiating from Katsurama. He knew what to expect, and he was ready for it... but he did nothing to stop it. The first blow connected with his left cheek, turning his head back the way it had come. The second blow connected with his stomach, though his flexed abs prevented it from making him keel over with the wind knocked out of him. The kick landed solid against his neck, it would feel as though the man had just kicked a tree, he hardly budged under the impact. Then the final strike to his chin actually managed to draw blood, and sent him recoiling back a few steps, though that was more to get out of range than out of any real damage.

He swished blood and spit around in his mouth a moment before spitting up the glob towards the ground. "Alright, I deserved that I suppose. It's not the first bit of payback I've received for what I did to you though. Had a run in with someone else a few days ago... let's just say I no longer like lightning." He rubbed his chin as he felt the minor pain radiate through his head, but then his gaze grew stern as the man mentioned his family.

"Most of my family -is- dead Katsurama. My mother and father died long ago, and my little brother fancies me a monster. Your family is alive and well, which is more than can be said about mine. I understand your frustrations, but believe it or not I didn't call you out here to fight with words. If you want to vent your anger towards me, fight me. I want to see what you're actually capable of Senju. The past two brawls we've been in were uneventful at best, so show me what you can do."

Yosuke adopted a battle ready pose, but he would give his ally the first blow. He knew the man focused on ninjutsu, and for once he wanted to see what that ninjutsu was capable of. "Come on... Impress me."

[Jinan B]

...Then perhaps I'll wait for your children. Normally Yosuke's words would have blown the wind completely out of Katsurama's sails, but today was a different matter. The Jounin didn't understand how much the Senju cared about his own siblings even if he did have a brother of his own. He didn't understand how it felt to see his own sister as more than just a sister, as your own very child. He didn't understand how it felt to have all of that ripped away only to find that the pain was only for the purpose of some demented test. He didn't understand how the Senju's pain.

But he would soon enough.

Katsurama felt the power of his chakra flow through him as he began to channel the first of his jutsu in this particular battle. His rage only served to further fuel it, turning what might otherwise have been a river running through his body into a torrent. With a snarl that could easily have marking him as a feral Inuzuke, Katsu slammed his hands against the ground and completed the jutsu. Suddenly thick roots began to erupt from the ground upwards, completely surround both the Senju and his foe. Yosuke would lose sight of his opponent soon enough as the wood moved to block out both the surrounding forest and the sun itself in its movement. But that wasn't the end of the Senju's attack; without wasting a single beat the chakra circulating through his system began to flow more greatly, marking another of the man's channelling jutsu. His hand moved up and touched the wall that had formed directly in front of him and transferred the raging tempest of chakra into the labyrinth itself. The chakra sped through the maze's walls, soon enough coming reaching the point of the canopy directly above where Yosuke had been standing before he had obscured himself. For a single moment, nothing happened.

Then the roof of the maze exploded, sending both its own concussive force and the splinters caused by the destruction hurtling down towards where the Broodfather had been. Yes, before the day was over, Yosuke would understand the full extent of the Senju's aggression. That much was truly certain.

Jutsu UsedShow

Mokuton • Shifting Labyrinth
A-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user will channel chakra through his body, saturating the wooden body with chakra before slamming his hands on the ground. At a speed of 20, the ground will begin to erupt with a thick root structure, growing taller and wider in the form of a maze, 100m wide, with a strength of 30. Any time an enemy tries to touch the walls, the tendrils of wood will grow out aggressively in an attempt to trap them. A comparatively thin canopy also forms after the walls have grown 15 ft tall. The canopy is a trap, however, intended to lure a shinobi to try and jump or climb to escape. Even though the canopy is thinner, it is equally as strong as the rest of the labyrinth and will aggressively try to grab anyone who comes near it, grabbing and holding with a strength of 30. By casting this technique again, the user is able to completely change the layout of the maze, able to keep someone trapped for as long as his chakra lasts.

Mokuton • Surprise
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user will channel chakra through any of his Mokuton creations he is touching, sending a large amount of chakra to a specific point. When he wills, that point will explode with the force of 5 exploding tags, sending splinters ripping through anything in range.

[TyDie]

He stood and waited, his fingers ready to lash out with wires the moment the man started to do something of note. He could practically feel the fury radiating from the Senju, as if it were a raging inferno and he was feeling the heat, even from this distance. He saw the man suddenly glow with light blue chakra; so he didn't need hand seals for his jutsu? Interesting, and something worthy of note for the future. As the man slammed his hand against the ground, the maze of roots suddenly erupted from the ground, encasing both of them within it it seemed. He could have escaped it right then and there; with how slow it was, he could have easily hopped right out of it as it formed.

But he didn't. He wanted to experience for himself what this man's capabilities were, to see what he could accomplish if given the chance. However, he would absolutely take on his true form as the Broodfather; he channeled chakra throughout his body, and before long his hair fell out and eyes dotted his skull. His skin turned black and chitinous plating lined his body. His fangs grew from his mouth, and suddenly the man was ready for whatever would come next. Which, given by the "BOOM" above his head, was some sort of shrapnel explosion.

The concussive force itself, given it's close proximity to him, battered down on him with impressive force... Though not enough to break through his armor, and certainly not enough to damage him. It did however embed his feet in the ground, creating a small crater at his feet. The shrapnel was much of the same, it impacted and pierced into his armor, but did not break it. "Hmmm... Very interesting choice of technique Katsurama. I can only wonder what other tricks you have within your arsenal. I do look forward to what awaits me within this maze..." After pulling a few pieces of sharpnel out of his armor and flicking them away from him, Yosuke would begin to navigate the maze. He would make sure not to touch the maze itself; after all, given that he caused it to explode once, he could only guess he could do more with it... or maybe it could do things on it's own.

He focused mostly on the tremors within the earth beneath his feet; He would use them to locate the man if he could, assuming he moved at all. Even a slight movement would be enough to ensure his location, though that didn't count for much unless he found him. "You know, spiders are quite good at hide and seek Katsurama... I certainly hope you have a plan for when I inevitably find you. Or this could be... messy."

Jutsu UsedShow

[Spider Touch]
A-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Spiders must rely on their ability to feel their web twitch with their legs to know when something has entered their web. Knowing this, Yosuke has honed his sense of touch to the level of the spider. By feeling vibrations within something he is touching, he can pinpoint the location of any vibrations made within 20 meters of him. Vibrations are created when something touches the surface in question, so things such as walking along the ground or tapping on a wall he is touching will let him know exactly where the vibration came from.

[Jinan B]

The Senju wouldn't waste even a moment after he heard the sounds of the explosion that he had caused, instead opting to begin making his way through his maze. He knew the layout of the creation, as well as where exatcly Yosuke would be within it had he not moved, so making his way there was nothing more than trivial. He would not waste the time that he had on the way there, however, instead channeling more chakra throughout his Mokuton body in preperation for his next array of jutsu. Before he had gone so far as turn the first corner the Mokuton that made up his body began to grow, detaching from it as a 10 foot tall golem formed beside the Senju. Not long after that the process repeated itself, leaving Katsurama between the two products of his jutsu. There was no chance that he was going to find Yosuke unprepared, that was for sure, as he continued to channel chakra through his body; this time forming a crossbow attacked to his wrist already loaded with a wooden bolt.

All this time the man had been on the move, slowly making his way through the labyrinth towards where Yosuke had been at its formation. He was not overly concerned about being caught by surprise from an attack despite his knowledge of the Broodfather's enhanced senses. Perhaps the man would be able to make his way through the maze's wall, but even if he did the Senju would hear the Weaver long before he saw him. His thoughts proved correct as well; it was in turning the next corner that Katsurama saw his foe rather than through a hole in his creation.

Such thoughts were instantly forgotten when he saw the man, however, as they were instantly replaced with complete focus on his attack. The two golums that were flanking the Senju wasted no time in charging at Yosuke, serving as meat shields and distractions while Katsurama himself lifted his crossbow and began to fire. 4 bolts flew towards Yosuke in quick succession as the golums reach the man, simultaneously swinging at him from either side.

The Weaver would be distracted even if only for a few sparse moments, that was for sure, and Katsurama used the opportunity to begin channeling yet more chakra. He knew that his opponent was powerful, and so he needed to end this fight as soon as he could...

Jutsu UsedShow

Jutsu completed Mokuton • Golem X2
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user will channel chakra through his body, saturating the wooden body with chakra. When he is finished, the wood of his body will begin to grow out in tendrils, forming into the shape of a golem, 10ft tall. The golem is created with a thick, 30lb club and has the following stats:

• Strength: 13
• Speed: 12
• Taijutsu: 10
• Stamina: 10.

Mokuton • Crossbow
A-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user will channel chakra into his arm, causing tendrils of wood to grow and form into a wrist-mounted crossbow. The crossbow is capable of firing projectiles at a speed of 25 for up to 30m, and will continuously generate and fire up to 10 bolts per post for as long as the channel is maintained.
Jutsu Started S Rank Prison Mokuton jutsu that I uhh... Haven't actually finished writing yet ;D

[TyDie]

He walked slowly, meticulously forward through the maze... his nose turned up and sniffing occasionally, his ears perked up and listening to the sound of the wood growing stronger around him, and his feet feeling around for any sign of movement through the maze. It didn't take too terribly long before he felt tremors through the maze; and then he heard large, heavy footsteps. Completely different from Katsurama's. The smell of wood was all around him, so he clearly wouldn't be able to differentiate smells very well considering the man was made of wood too...

Still, ears and feeling was all he would need to locate the man. And when the two finally met face to face again, Katsurama wasted no time instructing the heavy golems of wood to attack him. So that was what the thunderous feelings he felt were... no matter, he could only imagine how quickly they'd be ripped apart by his wires. With a flick of his wrists, ten separate wires went whipping through the air, and if they made contact with the golems they would likely be ripped to shreds in an instant by the shear force of Yosuke's wires.

However, as the wood from their bodies clouded his vision, the sight of the crossbow bolts were obscured by the golem's wood... but the sound wasn't. With another flick of his wrists the same wires whipped a different way, hopefully ripping through the crossbow bolts too. It was a decent tactic to say the least, hiding the bolts behind the golems, but Yosuke's keen senses allowed him a level of understanding that was unparalleled by many. If the man refused to move, the wires would be coming for him next.

Jutsu UsedShow

[Whipping Wires]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 5 Instinct
Yosuke will release some of his wires into the air before pulling down on them, making it whip down toward his opponent. The wires themselves will slam into things quite forcefully, slashing into whatever they make contact with.

[Jinan B]

It would have been clear to anyone watching that Yosuke held the advantage. No sooner had Katsurama's golems begun to charge at the spider-hybrid had they been torn apart just as easily as wet tissue. Likewise, the man had still found enough time to bring his wires back to intercept the crossbow bolts that had been sent his way. Even the archer himself realized that the fight would be over in less than a minute at this rate. Then again, it was still too early for him to know who would emerge as the victor. The man still had one final jutsu up his sleeve, and he was prepared to use it even as all of his other attempts at turning the match to his favour ended in failure. The power that had spread through his body before was nothing compared to what was being channelled now, as the Shinobi neared the completion of his trump card.

Even as quick as he was, however, he was still far too slow. Yosuke had already dealt with the distractions that had come his way, and all it took was a momentary glance to confirm that the same wires that had ripped his attacks to shreds were coming for him just as quickly. He leaped out of the way as best he could while still channelling his chakra, ducking back behind the corner of his labyrinth in order to get away from the Broodfather's assault. For a brief moment he thought that he had been fast enough, but then he felt the wires tear into his legs, taking them almost cleanly off his body.

Just like they had before, when he thought that Yosuke was a traitor to their home.

The man landed hard, but he was where he had hoped to be: with a barrier between himself and his foe. His hand thumped against the earth, sending the wave of chakra that he had been preparing right towards his enemy. Nothing would happen for the briefest of moments, but then a wall of barbed and spiked branches would burst out around Yosuke. The strength of the technique would surely have sent dirt and dust flying at the cradle made its way towards the canopy of the maze, each branch no further than a couple meters from the man who now found himself being trapped between them. Then, just before breaking through the canopy, the branches directed themselves inwards and closed the last gap that Yosuke could have hoped to escape from. Distracted as he was, the jutsu might have been fast enough to trap the so called Weaver within a woven net of Katsurama's own design. Of course, he wouldn't have much time to reflect on the irony before the branches moved inwards to kill him.

Of course, the possibility that he would escape was equally likely. In that case, there was no doubt that he would emerge as the victor of this particular battle.

Jutsu UsedShow

Mokuton • The Horned God's Cradle
S-Rank Ninjutsu
After channelling a substantial amount of chakra through his body, Katsurama will make contact with the ground and transfer his chakra into it. As a result, sharp interweaving branches will begin to grow out of the ground somewhere within 100 meters of his position. The branches will grow in a circle with a diameter of up to 30 meters, moving at a speed of 32 and piercing through resistance with a strength of 38. Once the branches have reached a height of 4 meters it will close, forming a complete half domewith the branches also growing half a meters under the ground. It will then begin to grow inwards with the same speed and strength and will pierce through anything still within it.

[TyDie]

Yosuke chuckled out loud as he saw his wires sink into Katsurama's legs, ripping them off of his body once again. While inside he really hated the idea of hurting the young Senju again, he had to make this seem as real as he could... he wouldn't see his true power if Katsurama didn't feel truly threatened. "Hmhmhmhm, This makes six limbs I've ripped off of your body Katsurama... If I didn't know any better I'd think you were part spider too." He began to move his way towards the corner he had disappeared behind at a walking pace; after all, he couldn't make it very far without legs right?

Turns out, he didn't need to make it very far.

Yosuke felt the ground shift from where Katsurama was last seen, and that shift sent vibrations towards him with incredible speed... Something was about to burst from the earth beneath him. It took all of the speed and strength he could muster to leap up to the canopy of the maze, as he really didn't have anywhere else to go. He clung to the canopy to escape the growing trap of wood, the trap closing just as his foot got out of the way. However, once he hit the canopy, the canopy too moved to trap him. He was truly stuck between and rock and a hard place, with nowhere to go.

Katsurama had caught him.

With enough time and energy he could have broken free from the maze; initial struggles against the branches holding him in place didn't succeed but with enough time he might have wriggled free. But no, he would give Katsurama his victory... the boy had earned it.

[Jinan B]

For a moment the Senju did nothing but try and bare the pain that came with his legs having been completely severed. Even if it had happened before, even if it had happened a thousand times, even if he had survived even more painful experiences, the man didn't think that he'd ever be able to come completely to terms with the agony that came with losing a limb. So it was that he lay face down in the dirt for a second, taking a moment to himself in the knowledge that nothing he could do at this point would change the result of the battle. Soon enough however, Katsurama would roll onto his back; ready to look his foe in the face.

But Yosuke made no such appearence. In fact, the Senju could barely hear anything that he could have tied to his opponent. Had he succeeded, then. Was the Weaver...Dead? No, surely now. His jutsu was strong, sure, stronger than everything else he had used against Yosuke; but the man himself was surely powerful enough to survive such an attack. He had destroyed his previous attacks so easily that there was no way that he could've been killed...Right?

The man shifted his weight, reaching for his severed legs and he struggled to move across to where we could see what became of his fellow ninja. Taking the first one he reached and putting it to his stump so that it could begin to heal, the Senju clawed his way slowly back around the corner; almost daring to behold what had happened after he had unleashed his jutsu. He had no lack of anger in his heart towards the man, sure, but he was still a loyal shinobi of their village. If Katsurama had killed him...

The man looked to see how the scene had unfolded... And had to stifle a laugh when he spotted the Broodfather. "Hmmph... Shall we take that as my victory then?" He asked the man trapped in the Senju's own "web" before he formed the kai seal with his free hand. Slowly the maze surrounding them began to come apart; it's canopy shifting back towards the walls before the entirety of the contruction dug back into the earth from where it came. The Special Jounin took one more glance at Yosuke before returning his attention to his legs. "I don't suppose... You can help me with these, o' mighty Demon Spider."

[TyDie]

Yosuke struggled against the canopy a bit more as he felt it grow ever stronger against his arms, legs and neck, and couldn't help but close his eyes in annoyance as he heard the younger shinobi stifle his laughter. "Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. I wasn't expecting you to go all out and try to kill me. Either way, props are definitely in order." As he spoke, the blackened skin began to recede and his hair began to grow back. A moment later he looked like normal again, just about the same time that Katsu released him from the maze's bindings.

He fell to the earth and landed on all fours before rising to his feet, standing above Katsu as the young wooden ninja asked for assistance. "I don't know, part of me wants to finish the job and leave you a stump again... it's kind of funny to realize you can be dismembered multiple times without much trouble." He shot a smirk in Katsu's direction before going to grab the boy's limbs, bringing them back to his body and putting them in their proper place so that he could reattach them.

"All jokes aside though, you did good Katsu. I'm impressed with your growth, and I see now that inviting you to ANBU wasn't a poor judgement on my part. You have the heart, the drive, and now you've proven you have the strength." He could only hope that Katsu's victory would go a long way towards patching up their friendship... or at least, what Yosuke would hope was a friendship.