About those tendrils...

[Willoria]

Airi Rina was following the orders she had been given, but so far she hated them. Hiraku Suzume had given her specific orders on what she was to relay for her message to a shinobi from Iwa, and she would do as was asked of her, but she didn't have to like it. There was a reason why, even though she knew a lot about the deal Suzume had struck with the man, she didn't know quite all the particulars of what Suzume had gotten in exchange. Rina was not a fan of the great villages herself, and she felt like her skin was crawling as she pushed open the door of an inn where the meeting had been arranged.

She wasn't even sure if he was expecting her, she was fairly certain he was actually expecting Suzume herself. 'I really don't see how this is going to go well.' she thought to herself, sighing heavily as she stepped through the door and steeled herself for whatever was about to happen.

She walked in with the description in mind that Suzume had given her, and pulled from the bag over her shoulder a small, sealed, note she had been given to give to him. As her eyes scanned the crowd she found he wasn't hard to spot. It wasn't just his hair color that made him easy to spot, and not even his stature. In truth it was the expression that really caught Rina's eye and she had to fight the urge to chuckle. 'When she said he looked like a permanent grump... she wasn't kidding.'

In her usual crimson garb and partial armor, sword on her hip and a bag slung over her shoulder, the blonde samurai approached the table where he would be sitting and simply sat down across from him. Without a word she set the note in front of him with a black wax seal on it. If he opened it, it would simply read, "He's back. You cannot trust me."

Rina wouldn't leave however, she had a hunch that with a man like this questions would come, and so she waited.

[Kao]

She was late.

The last time Kotaru saw Suzume he was leaving her behind at a rural inn. He had somehow gotten the daughter of notorious Iwa defector, Hiraku Kenji, to be his informant. The bannin had set their next meeting several weeks down the line to give her enough time to gather some worthwhile information to report back to him. He used the time to travel and gather information of his own. At that time, Kotaru still had not returned to his home village since he initially ran off. The thought of returning still agitated him, so for now he continued to wander the minor countries surrounding Rock.

The shinobi sat at a table in their agreed meeting spot, his foot tapping against the sticky floor as he waited. She was meant to be there ten minutes ago, and with each passing second he grew more and more irritable. Bright, cold eyes scanned the room in search of her but he was suddenly interrupted by a stranger sitting purposefully in front of him. Kotaru's brows scrunched as he gave the blonde samurai a look over and then he briefly glanced at the note on the table. Leaving it untouched and unopened, the Akari broke the silence with a dark grumble. "Who the fuck are you?"

[Willoria]

Rina raised an eyebrow at his single, and rather rude, question. She sighed quietly, letting the simple breath out through her nose as she felt more than saw a server pass the table. She held up a hand for the young woman's attention. "Hot tea please." she told her quietly. "Matcha if you have it, strong, whatever fresh fruit you have on hand that's sweetest with it, sliced." she'd wait until the girl left, hopefully after taking Kotaru's order as well. Though she doubted an order would lighten up his mood any. The way Suzume had described him, nothing seemed to really lighten his mood any.

"My name is Airi Rina." she finally told him in answer to his question. "I'm a companion of Hiraku Suzume, she asked me to be her messenger... she can't get away unnoticed right now." she told him. "I'm in life debt to her, and have never been affiliated to any village, she felt I would make an ideal messenger between you two when she can't get away."

Rina motioned to the sealed note. "That is written in her hand, I assume you'd recognize it, or the seal of the organization she runs that once belonged to her father. It's called Chishiki." She leaned back in her chair and waited for more questions. The woman simply crossed one leg over the other, resting both hands in her lap as she waited for her hot tea.

'This really had to be the asshole?' she thought to herself.

[Kao]

Kotaru ordered nothing. If it had been Suzume that had met him, he might have ordered a meal to prolong their meeting. But this woman was not who he expected and the unwelcome intrusion set off all sorts of alarms. This was not what they agreed to. The bannin groaned his displeasure when she explained her history with Suzume, a hint that he didn't truly care who the woman was. He snatched up the letter and ripped it open, and upon reading the two short sentences his glare darkened. "How would I recognize her handwriting?" he snapped. "I met her once, and it's not like we were writing letters to each other across the room."

He performed quick, almost imperceptible seals and snappedc, and in the next instant a small flame erupted from his pointer finger. Then, Kotaru set the letter on fire and flicked it onto the table between them. "She 'can't get away,' huh?" he echoed, unimpressed. "Do tell. Who is this 'he,' I wonder?" Of course he had an idea who this unnamed mysterious man was who was, but the Akari wanted to hear the words.

[Willoria]

Rina stood again long enough to remove her cloak and drape it over the chair behind her before sitting down again. She sighed as the server soon brought the tea back, fairly satisfied to see a small bowl of some fresh split cherries. It was an odd choice of fruit but she was happy with it. She was surprised to see a second cup, she couldn't help thinking that Kotaru hardly seemed the type to enjoy Matcha, but she didn't say a word. She simply paid the server with a bit extra and thanked her before turning her attention to the grouch of a man before her and raised an eyebrow as he spoke again and sighed. "Right, because I know every detail of every bit of your interactions with her. I'm a complete mind reader and performed a seance before my arrival." she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes heavily before pouring herself a cup of the tea.

She frowned for a moment before pouring the second cup out of courtesy and sliding it over towards Kotaru. She took a couple of the cherries and squeezed a bit of the juice from them into her own cup before dropping them in and setting the bowl between them in case he wanted any. Still sitting upright she pulled her cup towards herself and rest her hands around it to keep them warm as she listened to him speak further. She had to keep herself from rolling her eyes again. 'What happened to my own manners? By the gods he's rubbing off on me already...' she thought to herself before shaking her head. "Hiraku Kenji. Her father." she answered him simply with a heavy sigh. "Somehow he's returned, I don't understand how except that he's somehow literally back from the dead. Seems it involves taking over the body of a child. Looks like the kid was between ten and twelve before the man took him over."

Rina took a moment to take a sip of her tea, sighing in content at the taste though she frowned. "He's already figured out what she's doing for you. So far he seems to think he can use that to lure you into some kind of a trap. He also seems to think this arrangement is against her will. He a cocky, dangerous little prick. He trusts no one... not sure he even trusts her entirely right now."

[Kao]

At her sarcastic quip, Kotaru scowled and snatched up the extra cup when it was offered. He already had a distaste for this woman. 'This is who she picks to see me?Thanks a lot, Suzume.' Still, he was thirsty. The green tea wasn't his...cup of tea, but he took a tentative sip anyway. The cherries were left untouched since he thought the mixture was an odd choice. When Rina uttered Kenji's name he nearly choked with laughter. Suzume had been so insistent that the man was dead without evidence and he had found it impossible to take her word for it. "Heh. Figures. Shoulda made a bet with her about it. But the old bastard looking like a child is hilarious, all things considered."

Rina's next bit of information made his upper lip curl into an arrogant, dangerous smirk. "Lead me into a trap with his pissy kiddy body? Heh, trap my ass." He erupted into a burst of rare, genuine laughter and then sighed. "I'd like to see him try, especially since he can't trust his dear daughter." Kotaru took another sip of matcha - it really wasn't to his taste - and then looked Rina in the eye. "So my informant has been compromised. That didn't last long, huh? So what's stopping me from using you to go after them? Tell me you have something I can use besides confirming what I already suspected."

[Willoria]

Rina herself couldn't help a sly grin when Kotaru mentioned the hilarious image of Kenji looking like a child. "Oh its even funnier when he's trying to be threatening." she replied. "He tried more than once to threaten me... not sure he's strong enough to match even me yet though. He did a few jutsu the first day I saw him and he nearly passed out. He's nowhere near full strength yet..." She sipped at her tea, wrinkling up her nose a moment as she tried to figure out if she was actually enjoying the flavor or not of the cherries with the matcha. It didn't really go together all that well, but with a shrug she persisted and continued to sip at it.

Kotaru mentioned using her to go after the others and simply chuckled to herself. "I'm dispensable." she admitted. "I also owe Suzume a life-debt, use me against her and all you'll have is a fresh corpse, I'll see to it myself in any way I must." she told him as she looked at him over the cup of tea briefly before setting it down with a sigh. She reached over for the bowl of cherries and plucked a couple from it to chew on for a moment in thought. "All I have is that she still wants to honor her deal with you." She reached into the bag she brought with her and took out a scroll, setting it out on the table between them. "Notes on what she has so far, the grown of Chishiki so far, past members she's gotten back in contact with or more she's remembered. With Kenji back in the picture the org will start growing even more and she'll keep providing you with as much information as possible."

Rina leaned back in her chair with an annoyed sigh. "I'm also under her orders to be as upfront with you as possible, and as honest as possible... she insists I'm to be her messenger in this. Claims her getting away is too risky, Kenji will notice it. But sending me away is easy enough under the cover of 'business'."

[Kao]

After taking the scroll and turning it in his hands for a few seconds, Kotaru hummed pensively. It was one thing that Kenji had taken the appearance of a child. Learning that he also wasn't near full strength was another matter entirely. It was an incredible revelation, one that he couldn't sit on idly. The bannin briefly glanced at the woman across from him. There was nothing of note about her, and he felt that if one were to compare their power they would find she was practically an insect beneath his feet. If Kenji's level wasn't even up to par with some country girl, well, that was welcome news. Kotaru let another smile grace his features, this one born of anticipated cruelty. It was the kind of black malice that rested at Kotaru's core that he rarely allowed others to see.

The shinobi's smile faded back to what was a more neutral - albeit still irritable - expression. "Fine. If she insists that it's too risky to get away from someone who's practically a toddler, so be it. I'll allow it. For now. But eventually I need to see her again." Despite Suzume's naive honesty, he still didn't trust her as far as he could throw her. His trust was nearly impossible to earn, and he especially wasn't interested in fully trusting the daughter of such a well-known rogue. Kotaru wasn't one to believe that children inevitably took after their parents but he had to be extremely careful in this situation. Kenji might have been in an enervated state, but the bannin still knew his life was on the line.

"Hmm...." he hummed again, as if carefully considering what he would say next. "Where are they right now?"

[Willoria]

Rina sipped at her tea before setting her cup down and crossing her arms over her chest before leaning back in her chair once more. The smile on Kotaru's face sent a shiver down her spine, though she did her best to hide it. As much as Kenji had worked to try and intimidate her, for the most part he hadn't managed to do so. Yet a smile from Kotaru had done it. More than likely just because she was, at best, completely uncomfortable with village shinobi as a rule. In truth, she absolutely detested them. But Suzume had asked her to be here. As his smile faded and he went on to talk about seeing Suzume again she simply raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it.

He asked where they were, and for a moment Rina simply looked away. "When I left them they were in Waterfall Country." she told him. The expression on her face made it clear she hated telling him that much, fact was she was telling him the truth. She reached for her tea and took another sip. But her plans weren't to meet up with them in the same place. She was to meet with Suzume elsewhere in Iron later, after she did some checking in the area on her own personal matters.

After all, she still had her own personal mission to track down, information on her own mother. She'd heard a rumor of a commune her mother used to run nearby and had hoped to learn more about the woman there, even if she had been dead some time by now.

[Kao]

Kotaru’s frigid green eyes were glued to Rina as she answered his question about Suzume and Kenji’s whereabouts. It didn’t escape his notice that she seemed hesitant to give him that small amount of information. That reluctance annoyed him, especially since his actual informant had been so ready and eager to tell him her life story. When the woman placed her cup back on the table, Kotaru reached forward to wrap his hand around hers, momentarily preventing her from releasing it. He would wait until she met his gaze before speaking again.

”Look Rina,” Kota began, his voice low and threatening a growl, “let’s be clear about something. You’re not in a situation where you can withhold information, and I don’t like wasting my time. And don’t deny it, you’re so transparent. So let me rephrase. Where are they headed?” Just as the question left his lips, the door to the inn burst open. There was a lag in conversation as nearly all heads turned toward the sound. The only indication that Kotaru acknowledged the intrusion was his eyes narrowing dangerously.

The newcomers were a pair of large men, presumably. Their faces were hidden behind dark hoods and beneath masks that covered their entire face. The front-most person turned his head slowly as he scanned the room, and his gaze seemed to stop in the direction of Kotaru and Rina’s table. He gave a low grunt, only audible to his partner and to anyone with sensitive hearing, and then mumbled “There.” The second man rolled his shoulders and raised his hand to hover above the handle of a huge claymore strapped to his back. With slow, deliberate steps, they made their way further inside.

[Willoria]

Rina raised an eyebrow as Kota's hand closed over hers. For a moment she simply stared at his hand, shifting her fingers slightly under his grip as a smirk slowly formed across her lips. She was tempted to test his hold, to see if she could work her way free. Yet Suzume had emphasized her desire to cooperate with this man, and in the end though her fingers squirmed briefly the woman huffed in annoyance and lifted her eyes to look into Kota's as she listened to what he had to say instead. She opened her mouth to answer him, in spite of how answering him made her skin crawl but then the door to the inn burst open and drew her attention.

Her head snapped to her left and her eyes darted towards the door behind her as she listened to what was going on. She listened to everything from their footfalls to judge their size and stances, to their voices and her smirk quickly returned. A light, yet oddly playful, sigh escaped her lips as her dark green eyes returned to Kota. "Seems I may have something to deal with before I answer you, my friend." she said, her words as she addressed him specifically very clearly a form of sarcasm. If he released her hand, it would go to the hilt of her katana, if not, then her other hand would go to her throwing knives on her opposite side.

[Kao]

It quickly became evident that the newcomers weren’t there for drink and conversation. The near-palpable tension in the room was contagious, spreading like a virus from patron to patron as the two men slowly ambled toward Rina and Kotaru’s table. One look at the woman told Kotaru what he needed to know: this was because of her. He let go of her hand and let his own fall to the table, where he began to drumming his fingers at a slow pace. The beat he tapped matched the footfalls of the claymore-wielding man, and as the pair continued to approach the bannin said, ” You and Suzume sure like to throw around that ‘friend’ word, huh?”

“Found you,” the claymore wielder began, his voice almost inhumanly deep and gruff. “Hard one to track down,” quipped the other as he cracked his knuckles. He was smaller than the other, with a tuft of ash blond hair sticking out from underneath his mask. By that point the room had begun to clear out. The locals knew when trouble was brewing and wanted no part of it. The poor inn owner looked on helplessly, knowing her bar would likely soon be torn apart. Internally the woman cursed herself for not rushing Kotaru on when he arrived, but his piercing eyes and the pointed black horns that peeked just above his hair made her lose her nerve.

“Hurry it up, will ya?” the bannin interjected just as the blond thug started to speak again. Kotaru spoke to all of them, but kept his eyes trained on Rina. “Our conversation is way more important than whatever bullshit you have going on.”

That seemed to irritate both men. The blond turned his attention to Kota, and in a swift movement he tucked his hands into his cloak. When he removed them he was then sporting huge spiked metal knuckles on each hand. As he moved to send a blow to the back of Kotaru’s head, the other man side stepped and went for Rina with his claymore poised above his head and ready to strike. Unless she acted fast the weapon would slice through the air, and through her as well.

[Willoria]

Rina sighed as Kotaru released her hand and shrugged as he seemed to try and make a dig at her and her use of the word 'friend'. "It's just a word, it's meant to be thrown around." she remarked idly. "If someone thinks it means anything, that's their problem, not mine." she added, sighing again quietly as the man with the claymore spoke. She took her cup of tea and downed it quickly before setting down again and rolling her neck briefly. She turned and looked up at the man, her dark eyes sparkling.

"Only difficult to find for the intellectually challenged." she cooed, giggling at him even though it had been the second man who had spoken.

Kotaru's impatience only made her giggle again, she clearly found the entire situation entertaining. "Funny... none of this is important to me at all."

She kept her attentions on the claymore wielding man at first, knowing of course that Kotaru could handle himself if it came down to it, even if this was her own fight. She kicked back to send herself and her chair skidding back across the floor and get to her feet, drawing her katana and striking out in a series of quick slashes. She aimed for his hands first, and then his forearms. Her goal was to force him to drop the claymore or at least to lower it enough to allow her to strike out with a sudden lethal strike for his throat. Her fun first, and ending it fast was her method and her goal.

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Yoshin • Great Serpent's Gaze]
A-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite(s): *[Yoshin • Field Dressing].
The practitioner of Yoshin has attained a knowledge of the human body that rivals even the world's finest doctors. This Discipline represents the practitioner's knowledge of the human anatomy in its entirety, including every single point of vulnerability, and they are able to instantly locate and target those areas both on their bodies and their opponents' bodies whenever they so wish. This allows the practitioner to accurately strike even the most minute of target areas in the heat of combat.

*[Yoshin • Cripple the Paw]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Moving in close to the opponent, the practitioner launches a series of quick, snapping slashes and thrusts to the opponent's hands, causing deep lacerations. These cuts damage the tendons in the opponent's hands, interfering with their dexterity. These cuts cover sensitive areas between the fingers, knuckle joints, or even potentially under fingernails. While the damage caused by this technique is not life-threatening, it imposes a persisting -3 Endurance penalty on the opponent, as well as making it incredibly painful, if not impossible, for the opponent to wield a weapon with their hand or hands. This penalty can be lifted if the opponent receives medical attention.

*[Yoshin • Shatter the Hoof]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
A technique to disarm opponents, the practitioner launches a snapping slash or thrust at the opponent's forearm, severing several key tendons in the forearm. The damage caused to the muscles and tendons in the forearm by this technique can cause an opponent to drop whatever they are holding. Aside from being disarmed and causing significant pain, this technique also imposes a persisting -3 Strength penalty on the opponent due to the damage the muscles have sustained. This penalty can be lifted if the opponent receives medical attention.

[Kao]

Rina’s retort regarding “friendship” was met with a simple eye roll. Normally he would have hurled an insult her way, but in the next moment he found himself needing to deal with pathetic thug #2. It seemed like whenever he entered an inn or a bar he had to deal with some sort of aggravating nonsense. Once the situation diffused, Kotaru would later stronger consider having all future shinobi-related meetings at a hot spring. Nothing bad ever happened at a hot spring.

The thug expected his blow to land; there was no way this guy would have time to react at such a close range. But his confidence was shattered when instead of meeting Kotaru’s skull, his fist slammed into something else entirely. Beneath his mark the thug’s eyes widened. A long, thick, nearly black…thing had appeared out of thin air, blocking Kotaru from view. He had only enough time to glance down and see that the tendril was coming from Kotaru’s body. Before he could take a full breath for a surprised yelp, his legs were swept from under him and the wind knocked out of him as the melashiin slammed into his chest and pinned him down.

“You sure about this?” The question sounded like a hissing snake. “I’m feeling generous today so l’ll allow you to reconsider. Take your time.”

Feet away, Rina’s attack made contact with the claymore wielder’s forearms. But he seemed to be almost unaffected, and he was able to take a defensive step backwards and avoid the blow to his throat. Her weapon shredded his sleeves, revealing he was wearing metal arm guards that covered his forearms completely. She had barely left a scratch. There was no time to check on his partner as he was swiftly taken down. They knew this woman would likely resist, but they hadn’t counted on some freak to be in her midst.

He pivoted, turning on his heel and swinging the claymore in an arc at waist level. It was a move meant to give him room as he reevaluated the situation. “You bitch! You won’t make a fool out of me again!” He talked big, but internally his blood was boiling. He thought this time for sure he and his partner would take this woman down and they would get revenge for the humiliation they suffered the first time they met her. But somehow, yet again, things weren’t going as planned. After he spun, the man would rush forward and direct another downward slash at her, and immediately after her he would raise the weapon in a diagonal slash.

[Willoria]

Airi's playful demeanor vanished the moment she saw the metal arm guards he wore and she dropped low to keep under the swing of his blade. As he rushed at her she danced around him and slashed at his side with her blade, a hand slipping to her throwing knives and letting a pair fly at the base of his skull as she moved by him. Anger was rising within her chest like bile, a feeling she hated and despised but quickly she found her own amusement gone and the only thing she desired was this man down and drown in his own blood. If she could only manage to get behind him and hit him, or daze him with an attack, she'd try to slip her blade between ribs or above his kidneys.

Her lips were drawn up above her teeth like an animal mid-snarl, a growl hovering in the back of her throat as it was all she could think about. "You bastards have no idea what you've stepped into..." she snarled at them.

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Yoshin • Great Serpent's Gaze]
A-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite(s): *[Yoshin • Field Dressing].
The practitioner of Yoshin has attained a knowledge of the human body that rivals even the world's finest doctors. This Discipline represents the practitioner's knowledge of the human anatomy in its entirety, including every single point of vulnerability, and they are able to instantly locate and target those areas both on their bodies and their opponents' bodies whenever they so wish. This allows the practitioner to accurately strike even the most minute of target areas in the heat of combat.

*[Yoshin • Hidden Trap]
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
After taking the opponent's side either offensively or after evading an attack, the practitioner draws a quick, firm slash across the opponent's side, such as their oblique, rib cage, or arm. The attack is intended to both injure and startle the opponent, often used to disrupt an opponent's attack or sequence of attacks with the severity of the damage. A unique attack within Yoshin, this particular technique is meant to dig as deeply into the opponent and create cuts as wide as possible, many times slashing into bones to cause as much long term damage as possible. The depth and width of the cut can also cause serious blood loss over time. Opponents with an Rigid Structure technique of equal or higher rank can limit the amount of damage this technique causes.

[Kao]

The man was faster than he looked, especially considering the size of the weapon he wielded/ he brought down the claymore to block her slash, sending a shock of sparks through the air. He seemed to be a well-trained fighter as well, evident by the way he used the metal armatures to deflect her throwing knives. “Who cares as long as I take your head!” The man was beginning to see red, but he wouldn’t let his emotions get in the way of his revenge. not when he was so close.

The other thug, on the other hand, was struggling to even breathe. Kotaru’s melashiin had him flat on his back, and the single tendril was pressed against his chest and throat. He punched the shiin over annd over with his spiked knuckles. blow was more feeble the the last. Though he managed to draw blood from the limb Kotaru wasnt the least bit fazed. "Last chance." He almost sounded bored. The thug, unsurprisingly, didn’t listen. They hadn’t expected Rina to have a partner, especially not someone who was clearly a shinobi person who shouldn’t be trifled with.

“Toma…he-help me!” As soon as the words escaped his lips his body went limp. Behind his mask his frustrated expression faded and his eyes seem to dim and the man fell silent. Kotaru sighed and lifted the heavy tendril and it curled behind him, swaying.

The claymore wielded - Toma - growler and was momentarily distracted by his partner’s plea. It didn’t matter if his partner fell or not; no matter what, he was determined to kill this woman.

JutsuShow

Spaced Out
A-Ranked Status Genjutsu
After channeling his chakra, Kotaru will make and maintain physical contact with his target for a full post to trigger the genjutsu. Once the genjutsu is activated, the target’s mind will blank, and they will find it very difficult to form complete thoughts. The target will be “out of it,” and will not respond to stimulation such as commands, non-painful physical sensations, or moderate changes in their visual field for 5 posts.

[Willoria]

Airi was no longer feeling the least bit playful. She was growing all the more annoyed by the situation at hand. If things kept going as they were, she just might end up overwhelmed by this man. That would leave her in a position to require help, likely from Kotaru. As much as she hated shinobi, even she'd have to honor a life debt to one just as she honored her debt to Suzume. Following Suzume's orders to give information to Kotaru was one thing, just the idea of owing a debt to Kotaru made her skin crawl. As the other man's body went limp and she spotted the momentary distraction in Toma, she knew this was likely the best chance she had to end it quickly.

She dropped low, aiming a strike across his shins in the hopes to cause him pain and slow him down a bit before stepping to his side and swinging wide with her sword with the aim of slicing deep across his throat. If she was able to cause him to bleed out she'd be happy, if she decapitated him she'd frankly be happier.

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Yoshin • Bear Trap]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Dropping low to the ground, the practitioner launches a quick, wide slash to the front of the opponent's shins. The cut targets a long nerve across the front of the shin which, if cut, can restrict the opponent's movements. Considering the size of the nerve being targeted and the relatively thin skin covering it, even cuts that only graze these nerves can be effective. Aside from causing significant pain, this technique also imposes a persisting -3 Speed penalty on the opponent due to movement of the legs becoming more difficult. This penalty can be lifted if the opponent receives medical attention.

[Kao]

Her strike was well placed, and the man’s legs momentarily buckled from the impact. But he recovered quickly, and he leaned back in an attempt to dodge her follow-up attack. But he was too slow, and instead of his throat her weapon caught his chest just beneath his collarbone. The resulting wound was over an inch deep, and it immediately gushed blood as the surprised thug took several unsteady steps backwards.

This wasn’t going according to plan. They were supposed to outnumber her, overwhelm her. But once again they miscalculated, and this time the unknown factor was in the form of what appeared to be a high ranking shinobi. The thug cursed colorfully under his breath as he jumped backwards, clearing several feet, and he glared at the two from the inn’s entranceway. Blood poured from his wound, the flow barely slowing even after he had pressed a shaky hand against the gash. “Why won’t you just pay for what you did and die! You- gah!” His defeated rant was cut off as he suddenly went flying, crashing through the wooden door and into the dirt street. When he came to a stop, barely conscious, he found himself entangled with his partner, who had apparently been thrown across the room and into him.

Inside, Kotaru looked to Rina, his melashiin still poised in midair from after he had tossed the unconscious man like a rag doll. ”Rina, yeah? Is this gonna be a regular occurrence? Cause as much as I enjoy killing people every now and then, it’ll be aggravating if it happens every fucking time.” As he spoke he walked past her slowly, deliberately, heading toward the door with the intention of finishing the job. ”Hopefully Suzume isn’t such a weakling and can handle trash like this without needing help.”

[Willoria]

Rina was taking up a position to charge the man when he was suddenly sent flying, and the woman couldn't help a growl under her breath of frustration in response. She stood up straight, wiping her sword before sheathing it again with an audible 'snap' and her eyes followed Kotaru and his melashiin. "Not my fault these assholes find losing to a woman to be this embarassing." she replied, rolling her eyes as she watched him go. She followed him at a distance, letting out a sharp exhalation of air as he spoke of Suzume. She couldn't tell if he was trying to insult just Rina herself, or both of them with his statement. She kept her arms crossed as she followed him to see what he would do with the men out of curiosity, though her annoyance was at its peak. Surprisingly, it wasn't because of the men however, but because of Kota.

"I swear, attitudes like yours are why I usually prefer women." she muttered to herself as she walked. When they were closer to the two men, she simply stared at them and shook her head. "Seriously though, I don't even remember what I did to piss these two off... probably just another pair of idiots who couldn't handle a woman winning a fight. It's amazing how many of them there are out here."

[Kao]

When Rina retorted that she prefers women Kotaru turned around and, while walking backwards, placed a palm over his chest and chimed, "Ara, ara~! No wonder you do whatever Suzume says." His voice dripped with sarcasm that approached lightheartedness as he purposefully misconstrued the implications of her words, but as he turned to face the two thugs any semblance of amusement evaporated. The single melashiin waved behind him lazily for a moment, and then it snaked forward until it was just underneath the one called Toma's chin. Dazed, he stirred, and when he looked up and saw Kota there was a moment of confusion that was quickly replaced by realization. Kotaru flicked the end of the melashiin, and it caught the underside of the man's mask. It flew off and landed somewhere behind them, revealing the heavily scarred face of a hardened man, his dark red hair thinning in several places. He opened his mouth to speak, but in the next second he found himself gagged by the end of the bannin's tendril.

"Shhhh," he hissed, slowly inching the tendril further into the man's mouth. "Whatever you have to say, I don't care. I don't give a fuck why you're after this woman, but something tells me you're persistent enough that letting you live will be annoying for me later." Toma, still pinned down by his semiconscious comrade, tried to shake his head and place a hand on either side of the tendril to snatch it away. But as soon as his hands flinched Kotaru manifested four more tendrils, two of which darted forward to pin his arms down. A third impaled the semiconscious man's stomach, snapping him out of the genjutsu stupor immediately. The thug shrieked and writhed in pain, and he clawed uselessly at the tendril as Kotaru twisted and pushed it in deeper. Beneath him Toma screamed, the sound muffled by the Akari's shiin, but it was suddenly cut short with a loud squelch as Kotaru pushed the tendril through his neck. With a bored sigh, the bannin used the remaining unoccupied tendril to strike the side of the other thug's head, breaking his neck and killing him instantly.

A few seconds passed and he simply stood there. Normally he didn't make a scene while doing this kind of business, but the man - and, by extension, Rina - had left him with few choices. Kotaru turned to face Rina, clearly agitated as he shook the five shiin free of blood. "Now. Where were we, Rina?"

JutsuShow

Partial Formation: Melashiin
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Type: Melashiin
Like the typical Formation technique, Kotaru focuses chakra to his shiin, causing it to inflate. With this technique he can control how many of his melashiin tendrils manifest rather than releasing all of the tendrils at once. The melashiin is able to recover at double the rate of a normal body part would. The strength of his melashiiin is equal to 3/4ths of his strength.

[Willoria]

Rina snorted at Kotaru's sarcasm, smirking at the back of his head. She couldn't help catching up enough to try and flick one of his horns with two fingers. "Yeah, sorry if that disappoints you." she quipped in return as they drew close to the two men. Rina purposely stepped away from him and around to the other side of the men to watch what he would do with them however. As he shoved one of his tendrils further into Toma's mouth, she couldn't help cringing a bit. "If I wasn't already questioning my interest in men..." she remarked, trailing off and shaking her head with a slight shudder. "...might not be overly fond of Suz's tendrils either after this for that matter..." she muttered as the realization slowly set in.

She watched Kotaru easily kill both men with a sigh, lifting her eyes to the man as he finally turned to her and the woman frowned. She couldn't help rolling her eyes. She looked down at the two corpses, the memory all too vivid of how easily he had killed them. In addition there was the fact that Suzume had technically given her an order as well. She finally sighed in resignation. "I don't know her father's plans, he seems to be wandering old Waterfall Country, staying on the move. I'm not even sure if he'll stay there." she explained, looking at him for a moment. "I'm meeting back up with Suzume in Iron Country, we ran into the new Taishou in Steam Country and had to affirm our citizenship. She wants to look for her old sensei there, I'm checking up on a couple of old clues on my mother." She shrugged, clearly annoyed still.

She felt herself getting twitchy, suddenly wanting nothing more than to take on her other form and go for a run. "What else did you want to know?"

[Kao]

Kotaru had largely ignored Rina in the moments before and after he decided to kill the two men, but luckily for her he remained aware enough that he cocked his head to the side so that she didn't touch his horns. Of all the things she'd done to annoy him, that would have undoubtedly led to Kotaru maiming her, at the very least. But doing so would have meant he wouldn't have learned a bit more information about Kenji's possible whereabouts. He hummed in contemplation, and he considered the fact that if Kenji was on the move then there was a need for more than one informant. Well, an informant and a half. "The new Taishou, huh? Send Shio my regards." The rest of what Rina told him about her and Suzume's upcoming stint in Iron for personal reasons - along with the implication that Rina had no interest in men but plenty of interest in the non-tendril parts of Suzume - was filed away in his mind without comment.

Once he was satisfied that his melashiin were as clean as they were going to get, Kotaru dismissed the tendrils. He glanced at his bloodied clothes, then at the two bodies that lied in the middle of the road. The man pointed two fingers towards the dead men and channeled chakra, igniting his fingertips in a rapidly growing ball of flames. He then launched the fire, and when it hit the bodies they erupted in a ball of intensely burning flames. Soon the air was filled with the sickening odor of burning flesh. "That's all for now. Tell Suzume I'll need to meet again in...hmm...two months or so. That should give her plenty of time to find out more about her dear old dad and find a way to get away from him for a while. Make sure she knows I wanna see her. No excuses." And with that he flickered away, leaving only slightly disturbed dust in his wake.

JutsuShow

~Dismiss
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Type: All Shiin
A partially automatic technique once learned, but can be stopped if need-be, an Akari is able to cause the manifested form of their shiin to deflate at command or whenever they go unconscious. While the uses of this aren't directly obvious, it does allow them to hide the fact that they do in fact have a shiin.

Bursting Katon Pellet
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the needed seals, Kotaru extends his pointer finger and a small ball of katon chakra roughly 3 inches in diameter will form at the end of it. The chakra can be launched at a speed and strength equal to his control, and can travel up to 10 meters. The chakra will burst on contact and erupt into a ball of flames 1 meter in diameter.

*[Ninjutsu • Body Flicker Technique]
A-Ranked Nintaijutsu
After channeling chakra into their body, the user enhances their movement to attack or retreat suddenly, the ninja almost instantly moves up to 65 meters on the ground in a single straight direction. While doing this, the ninja cannot move through anything or anyone, nor can they supplement it with an attack of any kind. After the quick movement has stopped, there is a brief pause where the user must recover from the movement. Even though it's not a full teleportation, this jutsu uses up one of the 2 teleportations a character can use in a single thread.

[Willoria]

Rina raised an eyebrow as Kota mentioned the new Taishou by name. It wasn't that she found it disrespectful, she was simply surprised. She still was surprised herself at the young age of the Taishou, forcing herself to adhere to proper manners when speaking to him had been less than successful simply because of that. The fact that he knew who Shio was and wasn't surprised, was what oddly surprised her. But she blinked away the surprise and looked back to the corpses just as Kota lit them on fire.

She wrinkled up her nose but otherwise showed no sign of being bothered by the smell. Fact was, it wasn't her first time around the odor. Sadly the way she lived it was simply something one grew used to. He gave his instructions and she frowned, sighing heavily. But when she opened her mouth to respond, he was gone. Her frown only deepened as she looked around to try and figure out where he went, but he was completely gone with no sign of him. She shook her head as chakra swirled around her and the woman transformed into the strange creature that had first caught Suzume's eye and earned her the nickname of 'The Ethereal Faith'. Away she trotted on light paws before gliding on the air as if she weighed nothing at all. She sighed happily, overjoyed to take to a 'run' to relax after a far too eventful meeting with the Iwagakure Bannin.