[Training] From Dusk til Dawn

[Ace Trainer]

The sand dunes on the horizon had a deep golden glow to them as the sun set behind them. In these moments, Indra always felt they looked a little like they were on fire, the deep golden sunlight breaking through the grains of sand, the distance causing the light to dance and sway. Indra was dressed in a long flowing cloak as he normally was, his long raven black hair was swept up lazily in a large bun, the excess hair have been braided to keep them away, gorgeous jewelry braided into them, glistening in the setting sunlight alongside his large golden earrings. He'd rest his eyes on the horizon for only a moment longer before letting out a long exhale and then jumping up and down on his feet.

He and Sakaze had traveled a fair distance, about a mile or so, from the temple. They were on a different level now when it came to fighting and if they were going to train together - like really train together - they'd need enough space to be able to let loose. He'd already released his coffins, the large wooden boxes laid out on the ground, the puppets hidden within them not yet awoken. Sakaze was strong, likely the strongest person in the temple....except for Indra of course. His five years of training had not been for nothing, and Indra had returned to the temple recently in a completely different class of power. He was sure Sakaze could tell, maybe thats why she'd asked about the spar, but he wasn't the 15 year old boy that she'd first met in the temple. No, at 21, Indra had become very powerful.

"No holding back, right?!", he said joyfully, leaning over to touch his toes quickly. He'd giggle a little and send out chakra strings, flipping the lid to the coffins open.

"Whenever you're ready Sakaze! Lets do this!"

SpoilerShow

Indra's stats for this thread

• Chakra Pool: 50
• Endurance: 25
• Control: 50
• Strength: 25
• Speed: 50
• Willpower: 50
• Possession: 50

[Throniv]

---

Sakaze stood as a silouhette against the sand, her beige robes painted almost the same gold as the sun-drenched sands as she knelt in the dust with her eyes closed. Here, in the middle of the desert, she sometimes felt she could hear the voices of the desert speaking to her--the shifting of sand, the howling of desert wind, the sound that grains of sand made as the breeze carried them aloft and sent them tumbling elsewhere in the desert. The ever-shifting dunes had sheltered their people when it was the spirits that held them in bondage--and now they would serve as her weapon against the people that held hers now.

While Indra had trained, Sakaze had done the same--making sure that if it came down to it, they could both hold their own against Iwagakure's best. After all, it wouldn't be long before it was time to make their move. Indra and Sakaze both had been laying groundwork for six years: spreading the word, building networks, placing key agents in key locations throughout the Land of Wind. The entire time, Sakaze had rebels attacking caravans, disrupting rail lines, and generally making life for the average Rock Kingdom soldier as miserable as she possibly could.

Now, though, was the time to put her newfound abilities to the test against the only one in the rebellion that could pose a challenge for her.

Blaze orange chakra flared around the pale woman's form before a pulse seemed to travel through the sand, causing more than one dune around them to dip a bit as the stone buried under the sand was quickly transmogrified into granular sand due to her [Desert Genesis] technique. For 169 meters in every direction, including down, every bit of sand in sight was infused with her chakra and made vulnerable to her manipulations.

"I respect you more than to bother with holding back, Indra," The mad prophet said with a kind tone as she stood, flexing her fingers and rolling her neck one way and then the other to loosen up her muscles. Once she was done, she locked eyes with the Jinchuriki for a precious moment before her hands flew through a series of seals: Hare-Boar-Tiger-Snake-Boar-Dragon. The sand around Indra shifted for just a moment before 5 dogs--closer to jackals than the noble creatures that the ninja of Konohagakure used--made of pure sand erupted in a circular formation around the young man.

The two behind him launched themselves at 50 [Speed], aiming to clamp down on one of Indra's calves each and pull his feet out from under him, while the one on his right and the one on his left aimed their sandy maws at the young man's forearms. The final dog, as it erupted from the sand in front of him, would leap up to his chest and aim to sink its sandy teeth into the Soul Jinchuriki's exposed shoulder.

OOCShow

Stats:
Chakra Pool: 50
Endurance: 30
Control: 50
Strength: 20
Speed:50
Willpower:50

Desert Release
Due to her unique connection with the Sun and the Desert that granted her its gifts, Sakaze's Sand Release has evolved into Desert Release. Desert Release is a unique and powerful chakra nature that embodies the unforgiving essence of the desert. This allows the user to manipulate superheated sand imbued with intense scorching heat. The following effects now apply to all of Sakaze's Sand Release techniques:

EffectsShow

Grinding: When Desert Release techniques come into contact with organic matter, such as a living opponent, the superheated sand acts as a powerful abrasive, inflicting damage similar to [Grinding] as seen in Sand Style techniques. It [Grinds] at the jutsu's [Strength]. This effect is particularly devastating against flesh, tearing through muscle and bone, leaving lasting wounds and enhancing the effects of existing injuries. This effect does not apply to structures or inorganic matter

Melting: Against inorganic matter, like weapons and armor, Desert Release utilizes its intense scorching heat to inflict a [Melting] effect. This heat weakens and deforms defenses over time, potentially even rendering them useless with prolonged exposure. The melting effect reduces the Strength of any structure, object, or defense it contacts over time by 1/4 of the parent Jutsu's [Strength] rounded down per post that the jutsu is active. That means that a 10 [Strength] jutsu would remove 2 [Strength] per post that the jutsu remains active.

[Desert Genesis]
S-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the proper hand seals or channeling, the user lets loose a pulse of chakra that will cause any non-liquid terrain to quickly turn into granular sand for 160 meters in every direction, including down, at [Control] Speed, effectively creating a desert within its radius. This transformation does not effect structures. The sand created in this way is infused with its creators chakra, and can be freely manipulated with Kinesis.

[Sand Beast Formation: Desert Dogs]
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the proper hand seals or channeling, the user causes up to 5 canines made of pure sand to erupt from the ground around the target within 50 meters. These canines have [Control] Strength and Speed, and will attempt to latch onto the opponent's limbs and neck in order to drag them to the ground and pin them there. These canines last for a number of posts equal to the user's [Control]/5, and will continue attacking until they are dispersed or the time runs out.

[Ace Trainer]

Indra would giggle when Sakaze responded, very conscious of the surge of energy that would move through the sand around him - he was in her domain, this would not be an easy fight. In an instant, the fight began. As she began to do hand seals, Indra too would begin to channel chakra, quietly reciting a poem from the hymnals of Yuumegure to direct his chakra into an attack. This would be something new that Sakaze had likely not seen from him - Incantation Channeling. As the sand around him grew into wolves, Indra would launch himself into the air at [50 Speed], and at the apex of his flip, bring his hands to his mouth to release a burst of Fuuton that would crash through the 5 wolves with [50 Control] as they pursued him, spreading over 40m around him. Immediately, he would begin another incantation, sand launched into the air in a dusty cloud from his wind blast. But Indra would never descend into it, instead as he fell he would finish his second jutsu, and large, white wings would burst from his back, and begin flapping in the air, keeping him suspended 30m above Sakaze.

"Won't be that easy!", he exclaimed.

He'd be quick to try and split her attention, chakra string forming from his fingers and attaching to one of the puppets in the coffins. It's joints creaking through the sandy cloud, Sakaze would be able to hear the tikatikatatika of it as it came to life and then from the cloud a chain would launch forward at [50 Strength] covering the 50m between itself and Sakaze, intending to strike her in the stomach.

SpoilerShow

Upranked to [50] Control, but limited the range to 40m.

*Fuuton • Great Breakthrough
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
By performing the needed hand seals and bringing their hands to their mouth, the user can release a wide blast of air. This wave of air moves outward in a cone shape with a 25m width at the end of the cone and moves with [Control] Speed. Once it makes contact with a substance, the wind both cuts at it and pushes it away with [Control] strength. This blast goes out for a maximum of 25m if it doesn't hit anything, where it will dissipate into the surrounding air.

25 Control wings cast
Idle Transfiguration: Wings
A-rank Ninjutsu
The user does a series of hand seals and then focuses chakra onto themselves or a target that has a piece of their soul in them. The target will grow a functional pair of wings on their back that enable them flight at [Speed]. These wings can vary from feathery angelic wings to leathery bat-like wings, and many other designs. These wings remain for up to 5 posts on unwilling targets, though willing targets can elect to keep them for longer if they so choose.

*[Puppetry Style • Initiate Puppetry Technique]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
The Puppetry Technique is a Ninjutsu technique used by puppeteers. By releasing chakra from their tenketsu, the puppeteer is able to release chakra strings from their finger. These strings are able to move 25 meters. This jutsu allows the puppeteer to attach their chakra strings to inanimate, chakra-less objects at [Control] Speed. While an inanimate object is being controlled, it’s treated as if it has a speed equal to the puppeteer’s control.

using!

A puppet frame made available to puppeteers or those interested in it in Sunagakure, this frame is designed for offensive operations. Roughly human shaped, the wooden frame is smaller than standard frames and has shorter limbs but includes more bearings in its joints allowing for increased mobility. The frames are often customized as far as hair, facial features, etc. The frame has 50 strength and 50 speed, making it more durable than most standard frames available. Additionally, the left arm has a 100m chain coiled in it, which can be ejected with 50 speed and strength, allowing the puppeteer to wrap up targets engaging with the puppet. In the right arm, the puppet has a free floating weight that moves with momentum. When the puppet swings its arm and makes contact with something, the weight will move within the arm and slam in the direction of contact, causing a secondary strike of [50 Strength].

Additionally, the puppet has a repair pack stored in the head, which can be unlatched to reveal the pack. The Repair Pack can repair up to 40 strength when utilized with the appropriate jutsu. Stored in it’s body, the puppet has a wire netting roughly large enough to cover a full-sized adult. The netting can be ejected at [50 speed], and electrified with [50 strength] causing numbing and paralysis to those who touch it. As an added feature, the netting can be ejected and then pulled back onto the Priest, wrapping around it’s body and allowing it to electrify anything the Priest touches. The battery in the Priests body is roughly the size of a heart and stored in the chest, and has enough power to keep his body electrified for 10 posts when used this way. All four of the Priest’s limbs detach and can be manipulated and controlled separately.


Interestingly, Indra’s puppet frame is very clearly a puppet, with no-adornments on it to make it appear deceivingly human. Its face, which has a single eye in the center of its face and a jaw connected by two bolts on either side of the head, is somewhat small. It has white hair on top that gives little impression of realism. The puppet wears a deep purple robe with a white stripe on the hood, and white cuffs at the end of each sleeve.

[Throniv]

---

The second that Sakaze heard the chanting her focus intensified as the chakra began to surge around Indra's form--this was definitely new, and something that she wouldn't mind learning herself. Sakaze dropped her channeling upon Indra leaping out of the way of the dogs, allowing them to dissipate into piles of sand as they collided in the place that Indra had been standing just moments before. The Great Breakthrough that Indra used kicked up a cloud of sand for just a moment, but as Sakaze waved her hand the sand in the air quickly coalesced into a long, thin whip of sand that came back and coiled around the mad prophet like a living, writhing snake at least 50 meters in length.

This had the fortuitous effect of letting Sakaze see the moment the wings burst out from Indra's form, causing a fascinated smile to split her face as she looked up at the jinchuriki. Sakaze could join him in the air--but there was no need to waste that kind of chakra. Besides, she was far more dangerous as long as she kept her feet firmly in the desert sands.

"Never thought it would be," she responded simply before her ears registered the tell-tale tikatikatatika of his puppet activating. Her right hand flexed at the moment that the chain burst out of the box and caused the ribbon of sand that had coiled around her to lash out, intercepting and wrapping around the chain with 50 [Strength] and [Speed] as it moved to pierce Sakaze's flesh. As it did so, each grain of sand in contact with the chain would begin melting rivulets into the chain, beginning to melt it and removing 12 [Strength] from the metal's durability as it began to crush the steel.

"You'll need to try a bit harder than that," Sakaze said simply as she raised her left hand and smiled at the young man before her, waiting for him to make the next move. If she wasn't careful, he could bait her into over-extending herself--but right at the moment, there was no need. They were in her domain, and the very terrain itself was her weapon.

OOCShow

*[Sandkinesis]
A-rank Ninjutsu
Having achieved notable mastery over Sand, the user is capable of shaping, directing, and manipulating existing bodies of the element without the need of hand seals or an existing technique. The range at which the user can manipulate the element is equal to the user's control times 2 metres. While the user can freely manipulate this element, they cannot produce the element naturally.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakaze would quickly seize control of the cloud and bring it around herself defensively, something Indra would internally thank her for as his puppet launched it's assault. As her sand wrapped around the chain, she'd find the puppet would be flying across the sand, the chattering continuing from it's body tikatikatikatika as it closed in on her. The wire would remain suspended in the air by the sand, going limp as the arm it was attached to detached from the puppet's body, and the puppet surged past the chain, aiming to strike Sakaze with it's right arm, this time square in the chest with [50 Strength]. If it landed, Sakaze would be hit not once, but twice, as the weight inside the right arm rebounded and struck a second time.

As he controlled it, Indra would begin chanting again, slowly moving forward with the puppet, his wings a magnificent white against the slowly darkening sky. When he finished chanting, he'd hold a hand up, a large dragon of water forming from his mouth and flying forward from him. It would fly forward at [50 Speed] with [30 Strength], taking a wide arc to the side intending to flank Sakaze from the left as she contended with the puppet.

SpoilerShow

Done with 40 Control, using one turn to make the arc

*Suiton • Water Dragon Projectile
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user creates a dragon head of water. Once it has been created, the user can launch the three-meter diameter projectile towards a target at [Control] Speed and Strength for up to 40 meters. Following the head is a long body and tail, stretching nearly six-meters. During the course of it's travel, the user may alter the course of the dragon three times, allowing it to complete a U-turn per alteration.

SpoilerShow

[Throniv]

---

Sakaze smirked at the young man's quick thinking as the puppet soared past the taut chain, already channeling chakra to stop the puppet in its tracks. The former Sunagakure Jounin released the chain from its sandy grip, allowing the piece of the puppet that had disconnected to As soon as the puppet crossed the threshold of 25 meters from the mad prophet's location, a spire of sand would shoot up from the ground and intercept its flight as it pierced through the puppet's belly. The second that happened, branches of super-heated sand would erupt from within the puppet and travel through all four limbs, small spikes poking out of the puppet's shell every few centimeters as Sakaze used [Desert’s Spire] and [Desert Tree] in conjunction.

The quick-fire jutsu left her just enough time to turn as she registered the end of Indra's chanting, eyes widening as she registered the dragon made of water that was screaming at her lightning-quick. Sakaze raised one hand, orange chakra flaring around her as she concentrated, before she simply raised her hand, palm flat at the dragon that was screaming towards her. Two 30 meter high, 20 meter wide curtains of sand appeared between the ninja and the dragon not 5 meters from the watery beast's snout, the first at 50 [Speed] and [Strength] and the second at 50 [Speed] and 30 [Strength] soon as it hit 25 meters from her person. The first one would not be enough to stop it, thanks to the quirks of chakra natures, but certainly enough to weaken it and slow it down, meaning that it would simply splatter against the second curtain that she raised.

Sakaze huffed out a breath of relief and turned her eyes back to Indra, a smirk playing across her face as she relished in the challenge he provided. She was a deep well of chakra, always had been, but he was forcing her to use her fine manipulation of sand at a rate that could prove troublesome if he continued. She needed to go on the offensive.

Sakaze began running at Indra, the sand barely deforming at her passing, as she reached down into the sand and seemed to grip a long, thin strand of granules that coalesced into a 100 meter long whip. Sakaze seemed to throw the sand in Indra's direction, causing it to lash out like a bullwhip and try to ensnare the young man's ankle at 50 [Strength] and [Speed].

OOCShow

*[Desert’s Spire]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the necessary handseals, the user will channel chakra into the sand in a 2 meter area beneath an opponent’s feet within 25 meters of them. After a moment, the sand in this area will violently burst from the ground and form an 8 meter tall spike of sand at [Control] Speed. This spike is capable of piercing an opponent’s body with [Control] Strength and leaving sand in the wounds it creates, causing irritation and pain of the wound. After the spire is formed it remain for 3 posts before turning back into sand.

*[Desert Tree]
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: *[Desert’s Spire]
After performing this technique’s prerequisite, the user can perform an additional set of hand seals and channel more chakra into the large spike of sand. In doing so, a plethora of smaller spikes will extend up to 10 meters in all directions at [Control] Speed and Strength. These spikes are just as sharp as the Desert’s Spire, capable of piercing an opponent and causing great irritation and pain to the wound by leaving sand in the wound. These spikes will last as long as the Desert Spire does, falling to normal sand along with the spire.

*[Sandkinesis]
A-rank Ninjutsu
Having achieved notable mastery over Sand, the user is capable of shaping, directing, and manipulating existing bodies of the element without the need of hand seals or an existing technique. The range at which the user can manipulate the element is equal to the user's control times 2 metres. While the user can freely manipulate this element, they cannot produce the element naturally.

[Ace Trainer]

Indra's aerial view would give him a good perspective on the attack, and as his puppet charged forward it would never be given the opportunity to close in on Sakaze, the desert floor surging upwards towards the puppet. As Sakaze's attack surged into the puppet, it would bound upwards, the desert spire crashing into the puppets legs, destroying them both as they detached from the puppet. The puppet would hover in the air as the dragon finished it's assault, sending water crashing along the desert as Sakaze's two walls defended her.

She would rush forward intending to put him on the defense, and Indra would begin channeling, once more speaking a prayer out loud as he sent the puppet backwards resting it back near the coffins as it's repair pack was activated. This would allow the puppet to repair it's lost legs as Indra finished his jutsu, the wind forming up at [50 Speed] and [50 Strength], forming a barrier around him that the whip would clash against the barrier without further effect as the wind cut against the whip. "Oi, oi, Sakaze! Not so hard eh!", he said with a laugh.

The creaking would begin again as another puppet came to life from the coffins, would Sakaze keep her assault on or try to remove another weapon?

SpoilerShow

*Fuuton • Vortex Pillar
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the required hand seals, the user stirs a great amount of wind around their person. A tornado with a 20m radius will form around them at [Control] Speed, extending up to 40m in the air. This wall of wind is perfect for defense or trapping an opponent in an enclosed area. Anything that tries to pass through the winds will be sliced viciously with [Control] Strength blades of wind as sharp as katana blades. This technique lasts for 4 posts, unless released earlier.

[Throniv]

---

Sakaze stopped short when her whip was scattered by the vortex and she heard the tell-tale sounds of another one of the young man's puppets activating, her hands already a blur of motion as she tapped into her connection with the infused element all around them. Her left hand came up with her fist clenched, causing a long tendril of sand to shoot up within the center of the vortex, away from the cutting winds, at 50 [Speed] to wrap around her fellow lucent's ankle. If successful, the tendril would begin pulling the young man down to earth at 50 [Strength], aiming to ground him.

At the same time her right hand shot out, causing a wave of sand to wash over the location that she knew his puppet coffins were located, aiming to bury both the coffins and their contents benearth several tons of the granular silica.

"Oh come now, Indra, you said no holding back," Sakaze said with a grin, relishing in the opportunity to test her abilities against a worthy opponent in the young man before her. When he left, she was the stronger of the two, but now? She could tell that he was still holding back on her--to be fair, they weren't trying to kill each other--and her smile was as much pride as exhilaration. She'd never thought he would advance this quickly. There were shinobi that worked their entire lives and didn't have half the strength this young boy had... and he still wished to avoid the fight.

Well, at least he'd taken her arguments about the weak not being able to get anything from the strong, peacefully or not, seriously it seemed.

OOCShow

*[Sandkinesis]
A-rank Ninjutsu
Having achieved notable mastery over Sand, the user is capable of shaping, directing, and manipulating existing bodies of the element without the need of hand seals or an existing technique. The range at which the user can manipulate the element is equal to the user's control times 2 metres. While the user can freely manipulate this element, they cannot produce the element naturally.

[Ace Trainer]

The tendril of sand would shoot up at Indra, and he would watch it as he channeled chakra. It was almost instantly completed as a window a golden light formed in the space between him and the tendril with [5 Speed] and [5 Strength]. The window would shatter before it even finished forming, but that would be all Indra needed as golden light began to glow from the sand tendril. Suddenly, it would stop moving, the sand falling apart as Indra finished his other jutsu and the tendril turning to raining dust.

Her wave of sand would bury his puppets, not that Indra seemed to really care as his wings would lift him higher into his wall of wind that protected him.

"You sure?", he'd ask once more, seemingly not waiting for Sakaze's answer he would begin channeling again. As he did, she'd see him subtly manipulating his fingers, as suddenly the sand she had sent towards the puppets had bulged upwards, as the puppet he'd taken control of expanded to full strength and size, exposing the coffins below in the sand. As the now massive puppet started to deflate and dig itself out of the sand, Indra would finish channeling, and Sakaze would be faced with a massive flame flying from Indra's mouth towards her. She was relying heavily on kinesis, he'd have to make sure he managed his jutsu carefully force her to burn herself out.

SpoilerShow

Holy Jutsu is custom ninpou extension utilized by Indra gifted to him by The Sun. Holy Release allows the user to imbue Holy Energy, referred to as ‘Light’, into objects. By embedding an object with Light, the user can treat it as if it was created by them, and cast jutsu to manipulate it. Holy Energy has a [Blessing] passive, which causes it to Bless anything it comes in contact with, embedding that object with Holy Energy too. To Bless objects that are tempered or have chakra in them, the jutsu must have [Control] greater than the highest stat on the object, or the strength of the wielder if tempered. A Blessing lasts for a number of posts equal to the [Control] of the Holy technique divided by 10, but is reset each time the technique touches the object. Holy Release techniques and anything Blessed by them have a soft golden glow to them to indicate they’ve been Blessed.

Passive activated by window.

Holy Release: Window
D-rank Ninjutsu
The user does a series of hand seals, forming a barrier of Holy Energy 3m x 3m in size to form anywhere within 10m of the user with [Control] Speed and Strength.

Holy Release: Halt
D-rank Ninjutsu
The user does a series of hand seals, targeting anything blessed with Holy Energy. This will cause the object to lose all momentum, causing it to fall to the ground.

*Katon • Burning Entrapment
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user exhales a ring of fire up to 40 meters away at a speed equal to [Control]. On impact the ring immediately erupts outwards and upwards as it's dancing flames form a dome with a 5 meter diameter and a 3 meter pitch. The dome is held together at [Control] strength for 4 posts before falling apart into wild flames.

Defensive Puppet Frame
A puppet frame made available to puppeteers or those interested in it in Sunagakure, this frame is designed for defensive operations. Roughly human shaped, the wooden frame is bulkier than standard frames and has wider arms and legs and a barrel chest. The frames are often customized as far as hair, facial features, etc. The frame has [50 strength] and [50 speed], making it more durable than most standard frames available. Additionally, when the arms are brought together then can be extended to form a 3m x 3m flat wall with [50 strength], acting as a barrier. Additionally, the puppets' barrier chest is lined with an elastic material with [50 Strength], and through the use of tension with chakra strings the chest can rapidly expand to 10 meters across with the front open. When the tension is released the elastic will pull the puppet back together with its strength, crushing anything inside.

The Priestess has been retrofitted with a unique type of material that is created in several layers. Either when met with a force equal to or less than the strength of the material, or by pulling on it with chakra strings, the material splinters, creating jagged spikes that stab with [50 Strength]. This makes physical combat with the puppet difficult as striking it causes damage.
Additionally, the puppet has a repair pack stored in the head, which can be unlatched to reveal the pack. The Repair Pack can repair up to 50 strength when utilized with the appropriate jutsu. As she is fully coated in it, when the puppet collapses around something with it’s barrier chest, the user can use chakra strings to force the splintering effect, dicing anything inside the barrier chest.

Interestingly, Indra’s puppet frame is very clearly a puppet, with no-adornments on it to make it appear deceivingly human. This puppet appears to be intended to be female, the face being slightly more slim, and having long black hair hanging off its head that gives little impression of realism. Its face has a single eye in the center of its face and a jaw connected by two bolts on either side of the head. The puppet wears a white robe with a deep purple stripe on the hood, and deep purple cuffs at the end of each sleeve.

[Throniv]

---

Sakaze let out a laugh as Indra showed off his new branch of Jutsu, delighting in the simplicity of seeing her comrade show off something that he'd been working on, and quickly realized that she wasn't going to be able to touch him from the ground--meaning that the fight was, effectively, a stalemate. She could use a half-dozen techniques to ruin his puppets and make them inoperable. Hell, she could simply compress the sand and force it to move through every single joint, damaging the frame of the puppet beyond easy repair, but she didn't have an easy or effective way to bypass Indra's defensive techniques, nor he hers as far as she had seen.

Sakaze raised her hand and caused a curtain of sand to flare up between herself and Indra, colliding with the flames at equal strength and snuffing them out just as surely as they blasted her sand away and into the desert winds.

The Lucent smiled and stood up straight, taking a moment to brush off her robes, before she folded her hands in front of her body and looked up at the young man before her with a smile on her face.

"You've gotten much stronger, Indra! There's no doubt that any opponent you face would be hard-pressed to bypass your defenses," she praised him as she simply stood still, waiting for the puppet to burst from the ground or for Indra to call the match, whichever happened first. "I suppose I could do it, theoretically, but not without exhausting myself and possibly injuring you. Why not come down? I'm very interested in that light that just happened. Could you teach me how you did that?"

[Ace Trainer]

Sakaze would defend against the attack with relative ease, her sand extinguishing the flames. But Indra was finally starting to feel the excitement of the battle. His puppet would finish emerging from the sand and Indra would shake his head, "You just told me not to hold back, Sakaze!", he taunted at her. She was throwing in the towel already? No no, that couldn't be. She was keeping him on the defensive with the Sunakinesis, but she had yet to see what he was really capable of both defensively or offensively. The puppet would surge forward, not quite as full speed as Indra taunted once more, "I'm not worried about your hurting me, but let me know if you're worried!", he'd call out.

The puppet would proceed forward at [35 Speed], as Indra once more began chanting. This time, a small wooden talisman would float from his weaponry pouch and then surge downward at the puppet, and the puppet's mouth would open, "swallowing" the talisman and holding it in it's mouth. The puppet under it's new protection, he send it forward to it's full [50 Speed] to charge forward at Sakaze. As it closed in on her, it would jump forward, seemingly attempting to wrap it's arms around Sakaze to tackle her.

SpoilerShow

Indra has Fuuton, so doesn't require capturing a technique to activate the below

Fuuton Talisman
S-rank Talisman of Light Ninjutsu
When Indra has captured a technique a [Fuuton] technique in a Talisman, he can channel this technique into the Talisman. The Talisman will then form a small air symbol on the front of it. Then by targeting themselves or another person or object within 150m of them, he will cause the Talisman to float to them at [Control] speed. So long as the user is chanting, the target will be completely immune to Fuuton jutsu (to include fusions and extensions). While this technique is active, should the target of the Talisman come in contact with Fuuton, it will interact with them as if it has no strength, it will not cut them, effectively being as if it was not there.

[Throniv]

---

The beige-robed woman began flashing through hand seals the second that Indra taunted her, a smile across her face as he refused to throw in the towel quite yet--all the same to her. She was definitely having quite a bit of fun. Just as the puppet burst from the ground and began traveling towards her, Sakaze reached down and buried her hand in the granular soil just as the talisman began approaching it. From beneath the puppet, traveling at 50 [Speed], a shark made of pure sand leapt up from the desert dunes and would close its massive jaws around the puppet before falling back into the sand and dragging the construct as far down as it could, aiming to shred the construct and draining its durability at a rate of 12 [Strength] per post at 50 [Strength].

If successful, the talisman would find itself buried uselessly in the dirt, leaving the two of them standing where they had been just moments before--but with Sakaze glowing with chakra as she held a hand up. "Arrogance is a vice, young man," she teased as she concentrated, causing a baseball-sized bullet of pure sand to form in her hand at 50 speed before she launched it, followed closely by a second and a third, following Indra's movements carefully to ensure that they would be consistently aimed at her target.

OOCShow

[Sand Beast Formation: Sand Shark]
A-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the proper hand seals or channeling, the user causes a shark made of sand that measures 20 m long and 10 m thick to begin "swimming" through the terrain beneath the targets feet at [Control] Speed with [Control] Strength, with a range of 100 meters from the caster. The shark will surface to attack the target by leaping up from the ground. If successful, the shark will attempt to drag the target below the sand and tear them apart with its teeth. This shark will last for [Control]/5 posts, or until it destroys its target.

*[Sand Projectiles] (x3, range is extended to around 100 m due to 50 control, at 50 spd and str)
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
With the proper handseals performed, the user will gather a large amount of sand in their hands before throwing it outward as though it was a throwing weapon. The sand will launch forward with [Control] Speed and Strength, forming into a projectile as it flies up to 10m.

*[Flawless Aim Style • Tracking]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
After much training and study, the practitioner has learned how to read an opponent's movements and adjust their aim accordingly to compensate without penalty. This Discipline allows the practitioner to accurately hit moving targets, though sudden changes in the opponent's movements will still affect accuracy.

[Ace Trainer]

As the shark formed in the sand, Indra would simply shake his head, a fruitless endeavor. He'd yank the puppet upwards, the Priestess pulling into the air as the shark pursued and reducing the distance between them, as he finished his incantation. Whether the shark followed or not, it would not matter as he proceeded with his plan. The Priestess would swallow the talisman as the shark collapsed around her...only to do nothing as she moved through it's body like it was water. He'd move the puppet through the air, and she would punch the bullets flying through the air in defense of her puppeteer, dispersing each of them with ease as they completely lost any ability to harm the puppet.

Continuing his incantations, Indra would once more send the puppet forward with the intention to tackle Sakaze, ignoring her taunts as he focused on the maintaining his incantations to keep his puppet immune from being damaged by her sand.

[Throniv]

---

The mad prophet frowned as the puppet seemed to move through her sand beast without actually interacting with it and intercept her sand bullets, causing her to flash through a series of handseals as she decided to change tactics. As soon as the final of the three seals was formed, the mad prophet extended her hand, two fingers pointed directly at the incoming puppet that already bore marks from granules of sand eating away at the puppet's armor. As it got within knife-fighting range the tips of Sakaze's extended fingers crackled for just a moment before three bolts of pure Raiton chakra shot from her fingertips at point-blank range, at 50 [Speed] and [Strength]

The lightning was aimed in such a way that it would burn a hole through the puppet's centerline, destroying the superstructure that held together the chest piece, and at each elbow joint to blast the arms apart. If this failed, she was going to get tackled, and it would probably end the fight--she was not considered particularly athletic among her peers, even if she was par for the average jounin--but at this range, Indra would be hard-pressed to react at all.

OOCShow

*Raiton • Rapid Bolt
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Bright Bolt
After performing the correct hand seals the user will extend two fingers toward a target. 3 bolts of lightning will jump up to 25 meters from their fingers in rapid succession at [Control] Speed and Strength. Upon getting hit with these bolts, the opponent will lose -6 speed per post for 6 posts or until the user ends the jutsu. Getting hit with all three will apply the shocking effect and reduce the speed of any living thing it strikes by electrically interfering with the brain's nervous signals.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakaze was preparing for Indra's counter attack, and as she finished her jutsu she'd fire the lightning bolts forward...only for the puppet to go limp. The blasts would fly through the puppet as it was launched backwards, seemingly no longer under the control of it's master. Indra's chanting had stopped, and instead, he slowly lowered himself to the ground, the large wings on his back folding themselves down and vanishing as he landed on the sand, chakra on his feet to protect himself from actually standing on the desert release.

He'd hold one hand in the air, and Sakaze would see that as she had destroyed the puppet, the strings manipulating it had released the puppet and instead attached themselves...to her. If she tried to move, she'd be frozen. Her point-blank defense had adequately protected herself from the puppet, but Indra had made a sacrificial play. By taking control of her body, Sakaze would no longer be able to use kinesis, which was what her primary advantage was. Surely, she could channel other jutsu, but her main offense was taken away.

And then they'd vanish, and he'd drop the hand. "Raiton is flashy!", he said with a laugh, "You've learned a lot.", he was being cheeky. In truth, Indra still hadn't shown Sakaze everything he was capable of. He hadn't used any mud jutsu, had barely utilized his Holy Release, and...well, there was deep power creeping inside of him that he wouldn't ever use in a spar like this. "We've gotten pretty strong, Sakaze!", he'd turn to walk to where his puppets had been, unfurling the scroll they'd been summoned from and sealing them back into the scroll from deep under the sand, using strings to yank the puppet Sakaze had destroyed over to him and seal it as well.

"I think it's time, you know? We're strong. We have a lot of people here. We should take the next steps.", he said, sitting down on the sand and staring up at the sky now dotted in stars.

SpoilerShow

*[Puppetry Style • Perfection of Puppetry Technique]
A-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: *[Puppetry Style • Advanced Puppetry Technique]
Perfection of Puppetry is a Ninjutsu technique used by puppeteers. By releasing chakra from their tenketsu, the puppeteer is able to release chakra strings from their finger. These strings are able to move 65 meters away. This jutsu allows the puppeteer to attach their chakra strings to humans or animals arms and legs at [Control] Speed, using every part of the puppet to its max potential. In order to break out from this technique, the target must be willing to break out and have at least [Control] strength to resist the puppeteer’s control. While being controlled, the target is unable to move on their own and the puppeteer can move their arms and legs in any way.

[Throniv]

---

Sakaze let out a frustrated huff as the puppet strings faded away, rolling her shoulders and rubbing her wrist where one of the puppet strings had been attached to her body--a masterful play by the other leader of the Hokori. She hadn't expected him to come this far in such a short time, but she was far past becoming surprised by the young man who she'd met in that underground temple after her lady had shown her the way. She had a long way to go, still, if she wanted to catch up--and that was a strange sensation. It wasn't often that she got a lesson in humility.

"No point in sugar-coating it, Indra. You've gotten much stronger than me," she admitted with a smile as she sat down in front of him, a sigh escaping her lips as she admitted the truth. "But you're right. Between the two of us, we should have more than enough firepower to begin."

The mad prophet gestured with one hand, causing the sand between them to rapidly form into a detailed map of Wind Country, with each of the three oasis-cities rendered in minute detail by the silica--along with the roads and rail routes that she and her followers had spent painstaking hours mapping out. With the sun down, only the moon reflected her light onto the desert sands that were her staunchest ally.

"Sunanada and Daiura should be our first targets. We need to install a sympathetic Daimyo, and we need to cut off Iwa's supplies from the sea," she remarked as her fingers moved, raising the two cities up from the dust so that they were elevated over the rest of Wind Country's terrain. "If we can manage both of those, we can draw out a good portion of Iwa's dogs into the desert. Sunagakure is too well-defended for any kind of overt action yet."

Her dark eyes moved from her makeshift map up to Indra, looking to see his reaction to her suggestions.

[Ace Trainer]

When Sakaze mentioned he'd gotten much stronger than her, he'd give a cheeky sort of laugh. He knew that already. His time training, his mastery over controlling the Genma, the skills he'd been blessed with? He knew all of these things made him a force to be contended with. Sure, he and Sakaze had agreed not to hold back, but in truth he had still been pulling punches just a little bit. He of course had a whole array of jutsu that he could access by unleashing the Soul Genma's power, but he had little interest in letting the beast within him loose against his ally. No, he was a container, not a filter. "Seem pretty evenly matched.", he said with a laugh, scratching the back of his head.

As she pulled up the map of their country, he would look at it closely, his eyes scanning the massive deserts they exist in. "Yeah.", he said absent mindedly as he continued to scan it. "Sunanada is one of the longest standing cities in the world. There are a lot of old noble families there that will have deep connections and respect of the communities. I'm sure a lot of them have 'bent the knee'.", he used finger quotes, "But there will be families that will be sympathetic, to your point. I'll have scouts begin to collect what information on good candidates. We won't be able to name a Daimyo, but we can have one prepared and working with the village to establish their claim for the title.", he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You'd probably be best to go to Daiura. That's going to be a harder game to play. Lots of the merchants there will be positively disposed towards Iwagakure and Earth Country as long as they're still making money. We'll have to be more disruptive there. I think you'll find more success than me.", he smiled, knowing Sakaze would definitely prefer causing a ruckus. "When they're being pushed out and more active in the desert...well, I guess that is when we can start working to thin their ranks. We'll need to obtain a bingo book. But if we can get one, we can start pulling Iwagakure ninja out of their ranks and capturing them.", he tried not to wince at the thought. It wasn't one he relished in, especially because he had an intuition Sakaze would not agree with him on how they should handle prisoners. But it would be a necessary step to take if they really wanted an advantage.

[Throniv]

---

"Agreed, Sunanada will require a more even hand. Diplomacy is more your strong suit than mine, and we will need to bring more of the noble families over to our cause if we're to be ready to strike when the time comes," she said contemplatively as Sakaze’s gaze remained fixed on the map, fingers tracing the three-dimensional contours she'd crafted from memory. Even when the Land of Wind had been free of oppression, she'd never given much consideration to the noble families that made up it's ruling elite.

She'd been a blade in the dark, sent out to eliminate problems to the village and the country that she'd called home--what use did she have for the trappings of nobility? Now, she wished she'd paid more attention--after all, if they wanted to succeed here, they would need the nobility's patronage.

"Daiura should actually be the easier nut to crack, from what I know of Iwa's trade policies. The merchant families there are chafing under the extra bureaucracy the same as everyone else, and now they have to play second fiddle to Rock Country's merchant clans. Having to get three layers of taxed stamps before they can move any goods inland, not to mention how much is taken as tithe to feed and clothe the troops that keep the peace..." the Lucent trailed off as she moved her fingers over to the raised visage of the port city, tapping the tallest of the buildings represented there.

"Their anger is a spark that could easily be fanned into a flame, from what my spies tell me," the nunekin relayed as she sat up straighter, eyeing her compatriot critically as she absorbed his talk of taking prisoners.

"Some of them should be taken prisoner, most assuredly. The information we could glean from them could be invaluable--but Indra, this is war. These are slavers, whatever they call themselves," she countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Many of them would kill us all without hesitation. You have to be prepared to take a life if it comes down to it. I know that She holds all life sacred, but we cannot allow them to continue to kill and enslave with impunity."

[Ace Trainer]

He had to quickly mask the smirk that grew on the corner of his lips when Sakaze said Indra was better at diplomacy than her. Yeah, a desert salamander was better at diplomacy than Sakaze was. The bar for that was kind of on the ground. "Yeah.", he said simply, "I think that sounds like a good plan. I can meet with families, see who is sympathetic, and bring them into the fold. Hopefully a good candidate comes along.", all in all, it would require a lot of talking, and not a lot of fighting. This was for the best, Indra wanted to be involved in as little fighting as possible. He needed to keep a low profile still, fighting would make that harder. They had recently reached out to some bounty hunter guilds and all but abolished interest in hunting for Gekko, Indra, though Teishi was slowly gaining in renown. For right now, he was practically invisible, high profile antics wouldn't help that.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Sakaze's commentary on Daiura, she wasn't wrong, but it was right up Sakaze's lane to make a task like the one in front of her sound easier than it actually was. Overconfident, brash, all what he expected from his comrade. She'd underestimate how much she'd need to do, but she'd accomplish it nonetheless. Daiura was...not a place Indra wanted to spend much time regardless. Much of the 'dark' in Sunagakure occurred in that trade center, and it would be much more suited to Sakaze's talents than his own.

"We can quell their anger just as much as spark it.", he offered, sage wisdom from the young lucent, his eyes falling back to the ground and looking at the sand vacantly.

Of course she would say this. Sakaze's response was always like this. He knew to expect it, but he didn't really want to hear it. "We aren't them.", he pushed back. Sure, plenty of them would kill anyone in the rebellion without second thought. But, that was the whole point, wasn't it? Earth Country was evil because of these things, if the Rebellion did the same? Well. He had argued with Sakaze enough on this, and wasn't extremely interested in revisitng it. "We will not kill captives.", his voice suddenly very stern. He would look up at her, his eyes sharp and unwaivering, "Until we are at a point where that is the only option, it is not an option."

What Indra loved about Sunagakure was the ideals. He would not sacrifice those in order to save it.