Returning for an exam

[Zao]

It had been a rather long and arduous last six months where the young man had been mainly operating outside the village, most alongside his swordsman mentor Hitachi and into the latter portion of this timeline he had been set out alone to hone his skills. But that time had finally come to an end for the man as he had managed to return and after demonstrating some of his newly refined skills to his father the older Tsukino had requested a private examination. This request was not only something his father had pushed for but also his mentor in the Mist Swordsmen group, Hitachi, as to keep the skills of the young Mist shinobi a partial secret from the prying eyes of others within the village. For it was this young fox clan man who would eventually be the one to take his place, at least that was his thoughts on the matter of the youthful dagger.

A time and place were set as three officials from the village arrived three days later; the fighting arena set up was a simple looking rectangular training grounds with ten-foot walls surrounding the outer limits with some standing room up on either side of the long walls near the center specifically for spectators. On one side of the arena the slender fox had stepped down from the end wall landing softly as three clear tails could already been seen shifting from side to side behind him, a tell-tell sign of his personal strength. Amongst the Tsukino clan, the number of tails was determined by the personal strength of the individual shinobi, which would normally align itself with the rank of the ninja. 'I should make this quick, no need to hold back too much...'

Despite being a swordsman, one of his true strengths was his ability to blend his ninjutsu and genjutsu in with his well-honed sword skills to make defending against them very difficult. Plus, there was his sword, Hisato reached up with his left hand and from over his shoulder he pulled free a crystalline like sword that almost appeared like translucent glass. Its blade portion was had to see even while he was just holding the blade still, let alone when one was trying to see it slicing through the air at you. A gentle smile that seemed to almost draw in others formed upon the young shinobi's face as he looked across the modified training arena to see what kind of opponent had been rounded up to participate against him in this chuunin exam. After all, his real target lay upon the back of Hitachi, his swordsmanship mentor and third blade of the Mist Seven. Soon he believed that would be his spot...

[King of Cats]

It was another misty morning in Kirigakure when Tsukino, Yusuke woke up. He had suffered all night long from horrible dreams of the coming day. Yusuke was slated to perform in the Chuunin Exams. He had gone through all the preliminary testing, and by the skin of his ass he passed. The kid was smart, but he did horrible under pressure. Examinations were not his strong suit and all night long he dreamed of his naked ass getting smacked around by the unknown opponent. Yusuke had dreamed all sorts of horrible outcomes to his fight, from death to humiliation he restlessly tossed and turned in his bed. Yusuke was ready for the exam, physically. Mentally he was sound too, but the idea of being judged absolutely haunted him.

Nevertheless Yusuke woke up excited to get the fight over with and he got dressed real quickly. The young Tsukino was a prodigy at his age, entering the Chuunin exam at only ten. He wasn't afraid of battle, he was more than ready to kill. Well maybe not in this match, but he had the mindset of a true Kirigakure no Sato shinobi. Yusuke was a projectile weapons specialist and to prepare for the battle he had to account for all of the weapons he had sealed in his scrolls. Once everything was added up, 152 senbon exactly, he attached the scrolls to his hanging holsters and headed out for the arena. He didn't eat. Yusuke didn't want to get sick from his nerves.

It wasn't a long walk but it was a noticeably dark one. The sun was barely peeking out in the early morning but it was warm enough. This winter had been strangely warm. Yusuke wondered if the bloge was warming up somehow, year after year the winters were less. Or maybe it was his imagination. The Tsukino Genin thought about it haplessly. He should have been thinking about strategies, but Yusuke was confident. He was, after all, better than most genins. The prodigal son strolled up to the arena unaware of what kind of harrowing tale would come of this.

Once he was checked in and everything was prepared properly, Yusuke entered the arena. He came out after his opponent and was standing about 50 meters away from his opponent. Yusuke tried to eye him up, judging the distance and environmental factors around his opponent, and then suddenly a bang went off. The match was on.

When the pop went off Yusuke began moving. He was nervous but it didn't effect his performance, yet. The young ninja moved with 30 Speed and yanked his scroll from his side. He held a hand sign with one hand with the other hand held open the scroll. A poof of smoke appeared and senbon began shooting into the air above the scroll. With excellent practice Yusuke began grabbing the senbon and throwing them high into the air. The senbon quickly become dozens in number, Yusuke's lightning speed at throwing them working wonders for the ninja. They flew with 30 Speed and Strength at their opponent, high in the air. The shadows from all the projectiles would quickly covered Yusuke's opponent if he didn't move, the radius of the attack covering a 30 meter range around him.

As he threw the last senbon Yusuke discarded the scroll and began weaving together handseals for a counter to what his opponent was planning.

OOCShow

*[Flawless Aim Style • Absolute Aim]
A-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Having mastered the art of ranged combat, the practitioner is capable of calculating all outside factors before launching their projectiles. Ambient factors such as temperature, winds, moisture, any terrain, and even lack of sight on their target can not hinder their aim. So long as they have a means of detecting the location of their opponent and no impassible objects or unavoidable defenses stand in their way, the practitioner's attacks will strike their target with pinpoint accuracy without fail. Living targets must have a Perception technique equal or higher in rank to be able to perceive the practitioner's attacks without some sort of additional defense.

*[Flawless Aim Style • Deadly Rain]
A-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite(s): *[Flawless Aim Style • Advanced Hidden Shot].
A technique meant to shower multiple opponents in an oppressive blanket of falling projectile death, the practitioner begins launching a massive number of projectiles in wide ascending arcs covering a number of meters equal to their Speed score in diameter all around them. The projectiles will arc sharply down after reaching the zenith of their trajectories, each of the projectiles crossing through each other's flight paths and through each other's shadows, making it extremely difficult for opponents to determine the number of projectiles being launched and their final trajectories and targets. This technique requires an exceptional number of projectiles, consuming a number of projectiles each post equal to the practitioner's (Speed x 5), rounded down, to a maximum of 200 projectiles.

[Zao]

'What a young kid...' The fellow Tsukino couldn't help but muse quietly to himself, but for someone that young to manage to make it to the actual final exam round then he had to have some true innate talent. That same friendly smile remained but it was his dull grey eyes that gained a certain sharpness in their gaze that seemed to zone out everything else in the arena with the sole exception of Yusuke. One couldn't see it as the man shifted into a neutral stance, but his body tensed, and his muscles enlarged ever-so-slightly as the swordsman entered his Zantou stance. The raw power contained in the tightly packed muscle on Hisato's body was like a bomb waiting to go off as he readied himself, his right hand seemed posed to preform hand seals while the other sword was held from a low angle with the blade diagonally across his chest. "Let's have fun."

Again the voice was a friendly tone, matching the same smile as before yet the eyes of the dagger seemed to almost have a piercing gaze that was looking directly into the soul of the young genin across the arena from him. "Pop!" The starting signal went off the right hand of the Tsukino rapidly formed a series of familiar one-handed seals as he held the blade directly out in front of him ensuring it was easy for his opponent to see, if so he'd find himself secretly drawn into an illusion. As he finished hand seals the figure produced a scroll and released a barrage of senbon from it, launching them high into the air in an arching pattern that would turn into a rain of steel directly upon the fellow clansman. As the senbon were being launched upwards the muscles in the swordsman's legs torqued and then in one instant released all that pent up kinetic energy as his feet dug into the ground (50 Strength) and with explosive speed near instantly reached his top speed (45).

The ground behind the 'genin' was filled with dirt from the force of Hisato kicking off the ground as he rushed forward with blinding speed, out running the rain of senbon but that wasn't all. If Yusuke had been entrapped in the jutsu he would visually see the body of his opponent split into three, as though two clones had magically appeared leaving him to guess which one was the real Hisato based on sight alone. The real Hisato veered left as the two clones went straight to the right (from his perspective). A series of lightning-fast stabs and shallow slashes would be rained down upon Yusuke from what appeared to be all three sides, but the only real ones would hit the boy from his right side (the real Hisato) using his Poison Arrow attack. Target for this technique are the front of the shoulders, underneath the armpits, the solar plexus, the forearms, and the thighs. Striking any one of these nerve clusters will send a violent shock of pain through the opponent, temporarily overloading their nervous system and causing paralysis throughout the genin's body..

JutsuShow

*[Zantou • Winter Maelstrom]
A-Rank Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite(s): *[Zantou • Winter Blizzard].
Building upon its parent technique, this Stance further builds upon further sharpening and refining the practitioner's capacity to focus on the opponent and the task at hand. Drawing in a deep breath, the practitioner also gathers up their energy and releases a kiai. The level of skill the practitioner has attained allows the practitioner to effectively attack and block from a neutral stance without any detriment. While in this Stance, the practitioner can effortlessly ignore non-critical distractions, focusing solely on the opponent(s). They also are able to ignore extreme heat, extreme cold, moderate oxygen deprivation, extreme fatigue, and even extreme pain. They can read the opponents' muscle contractions and body positioning very accurately in this stance, and they are able to read the direction, the type, the timing, and the speed of an attack that is imminent. The opponent can still effectively mask their movements if they have a movement-concealing Stealth technique of equal or higher rank than this technique. While in this Stance, the practitioner is conferred with a +4 increase to Strength and Will Power but suffers a -4 penalty to Chakra Pool and Control. The practitioner may end this Stance whenever they so wish.

*[Zantou • Wolf Pack Paradigm]
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Much of a human's movements are inefficient and waste energy, especially in regard to combat. The practitioner has learned how to fully synchronize and harmonize the movements of their body in and out of combat. This Discipline represents the practitioner's knowledge and mastery of kinetic linking, the efficient movement and transferal of potential energy from one part of the body to the other, eliminating potentially wasted Endurance and chakra and allowing the practitioner to last longer than ordinary in a fight.


*[Zantou • Polar Bear Conservation]
B-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite(s): *[Zantou • Wolf Pack Paradigm].
The Zantou practitioner has learned to more precisely control their Endurance expenditures through the use of controlled and precise breathing. This Discipline represents the practitioner's proficiency at constantly using efficient breathing techniques both in and out of battle, further conserving Endurance and chakra. This Discipline ensures that only the exact amount of energy needed for each movement is expended, not a single iota more. This allows the Zantou fighter to endure and persist in battle long after other fighters would have passed out. This Discipline also allows the practitioner to function normally in oxygen-deprived environments, such as very high altitudes and vacuums. The practitioner can hold their breath on-demand for a number of posts equal to their Endurance stat.



Attacks

[Genjutsu • What is Real?]
C-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
The user will perform a sequence of hand seals, one handed hand seals if holding a weapon, then hold their weapon out in front of them as if preparing to attack, anyone who sees this will their vision modified, causing them to see and hear two additional 'clones' of the user every time the user moves and see one of the user every time they stop. They will be one to the left side, one to the right side, and one to the direct front of the target, with the user choosing which way they want to move and the two clones filling in the other two directions. This will last for four posts.

*[Yoshin • Field Dressing]
B-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite(s): *[Yoshin • Skinning the Corpse].
The practitioner of Yoshin further enhances their knowledge of the human body. This Discipline represents the practitioner's knowledge of the precise location of all joints, tendons, and nerve points on both their body and the opponent's body. This allows the practitioner to accurately target those areas even in the heat of combat.

*[Yoshin • Poison Arrow]
B-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite(s): *[Yoshin • Field Dressing].
Aiming to target an opponent's sensitive nerve points or nerve clusters, the practitioner launches a series of quick slashes and thrusts at wildly alternating points of the opponent's body, making this technique difficult to defend against while not compromising the practitioner's own defenses. Common targets for this technique are the front of the shoulders, underneath the armpits, the solar plexus, the forearms, and the thighs. Striking any one of these nerve clusters will send a violent shock of pain through the opponent, temporarily overloading their nervous system and causing paralysis. The opponent must have a Rigid Structure technique of equal or higher rank than this technique to resist this paralysis. Otherwise, the opponent is paralyzed until the end of their next post.

[King of Cats]

As Hisato tried to capture Yusuke in a genjutsu he averted his eyes, leery of being caught in an illusion and careful not to get caught up by a simple trick. The way Hisato moved his sword at Yusuke was obvious to the genius boy. When he looked back at Hisato, still while throwing senbon, the Dagger was charging at him with his swords drawn. Yusuke could feel the bite of danger at the nape of his neck and, for the first time that day, smiled a brief grin. He could feel the intensity of adrenaline rushing into his body. Yusuke wasn't thinking about the judges now. He was totally captured by the battle and as Hisato charged him Yusuke's eyes focused on a large rock in the arena. It was just in front of him a few meters, and perfect for what Yusuke had in mind.

It didn't take long for Hisato to get up close and personal with Yusuke, but the ten year old boy was ready for him. His hands were putting together hand seals and his concentration was locked. When Hisato swung the first strike of his sword Yusuke completed his jutsu. The sword slashed across his thigh and Yusuke went flying to Hisato's side, flipping through the air like a ragdoll. Then suddenly there was a poof and the rock that Yusuke had been focusing his chakra on lay where he had been.

As this was happening Yusuke appeared behind Hisato with the short bow he had been equipped with at his back, in his hands. Yusuke pulled back an exploding arrow with 30 Strength. He was less than five meters behind Hisato, at point blank range. Yusuke whispered to Hisato, "Surrender now, or forever hold your peace." The young boy had a stern look on his face. He was very serious. If Hisato wouldn't surrender the boy would fire. He only had 5 exploding arrows, but he was certain he could finish this battle without one. The boy was certain he had the victory.

OOCShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Change of Body Stance Technique]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After completing the necessary handseals, the user is able to quickly substitute his/her body with a nearby object that is at least 2/3rds his/her size, but no bigger than their body. This substitution allows the object to take the force of the attack that was meant for the user, additionally allowing the user to create distance between him/her and the opponent. The object used in this jutsu may not be objects that are imbued with chakra or controlled by it unless it is the users own, and they may also only be single, solid objects within a 10 meter radius of the user. This technique may only be used a total of one time in a single thread, give or take how many times Shunshin no Jutsu has already been used.

*[Flawless Aim Style • Dead Angle Targeting]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
After much training and study, the practitioner has learned how to use projectiles at close range, even point-blank range, with the same Strength as attacks against more distant targets. This Discipline allows the practitioner to use Flawless Aim techniques against melee-range targets without excessive exposure to counterattack and without losing Speed, Strength, or accuracy.

[Zao]

The first thrust flashed from Hisato, landing a firm hit on the right thigh aimed for a very specific nerve cluster that ran along the leg in that point but that cut felt off despite landing nigh exactly where the swordsman wanted him to. But as an experienced swordsman who had hit a variety of different types of materials, to include that of human flesh, the moment the sword struck the boy it was immediately known that something wasn't right. The chakra cloud that immediately followed let him know that that brief hand seals the youth had managed to form before his arrival were undoubtedly those of the substitution technique, his free right hand immediately began to form seals as his ears had already picked up the new location of Yusuke.

But he didn't rush in and simply turned his head over his left right shoulder as the blade in the left hand switched to a thrusting grip and he held the last one-handed seal so that it wasn't visible to his opponent who had switched places with the small boulder about five meters away. He could cover such a distance in the blink of an eye with his current level of speed, but he needed to bait the boy as eating that explosive arrow wouldn't kill him, but it was an injury that he didn't want to deal with either. "Give up? It's too late, I'm behind you." His grin as large as ever the tone of his words gave off the impression that they were truly real in that moment.

The words sequence he spoke would be what would bring the boy into a simple trap, without warning or sign that someone was behind the boy's position he would hear Hisato's voice whisper 'Boo' into his ear as though the black tailed Tsukino truly was standing no more than a few inches from him with his thin lips almost touching Yusuke's ear. A flinch, that was all the swordsman was looking for before he once more demonstrated his explosive speed to blink across the mere five-meter gap using his simplest but fastest stabbing technique, Blood Drop Thrust. The thrust was aimed directly between the eyebrows of the explosive arrow wielding genin, but it wouldn't be a killing blow if the boy didn't react in time or use some manner to defend. Instead, it would only pierce a few millimeters into the skin of the boy's forehead, just enough to allow droplets of blood to leak down from the wound.

JutsuShow

[Genjutsu • Boo!]
D-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
The user will do a series of hand seals, one handed seal if using a weapon, then within the next post say the words "I'm behind you". If the target hears the user speaking, they will become caught in the illusion. At which point they, will hear the user's voice being whispered into their ear softly as if the user right behind them whisper the word "Boo" into their ears. This works as an effective distraction, or a scare tactic, if properly utilized to catch the opponent off guard for the user to deliver a surprise strike.

Blood Drop Thrust
D Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
The user will specifically aim a fast and precise stab from his sword or other weapon(s) directly into the face/head of a target and in turn potentially the skull of his opponent. From the front the target point is usually the eye(s) of the target, being the softest target pathway into the brain and from behind is the base of the skull where it meets the spinal cord. While truly nothing more than a fast, simple stab, if landed in the right place it could easily become a fatal strike for their enemy.

[King of Cats]

Yusuke kept his focus sure. He held the knocked arrow drawn back all the way and was ready to fire it depending on what Hisato replied with. There was no mistake to be made. Yusuke didn't engage in conversation as a form of nativity. Instead it was an act of maturation. Yusuke was softer than many Kirigakure ninja, he didn't want to necessarily hurt Hisato if he didn't have to. He simply wanted to win the fight, and he felt generous giving Hisato the opportunity to help him in his endeavor. Of course, Hisato didn't seem to feel that way. As the ninja retorted that he wouldn't "give up," Yusuke fired the arrow mid sentence. The arrow flew with 30 Strength and 30 Speed, charged with a powerful 30 Strength explosion. If it hit Hisato he would be pretty well blown up.

[Zao]

'Hmp!' His razor-sharp grey eyes were purely focused on the muscle movements, due to the stance he was still in he was reading the opponents' muscle contractions and body positioning to an extremely accurately degree, this furthermore allowed for him to be able to read the direction, the type, the timing, and the speed of an attack that is imminent. Being only five meters apart, these types of contractions were even more evident to the prying eyes of Hisato as he noticed the twitch in the hand muscles taking note the arrow aimed directly at his back as he was still facing away from the boy at this point. The arrow was milliseconds from its release point when the swordsman utilized his reflexes to perform the attack he'd already planned to, thrusting a powerful straight thrust as his body almost seemed to disappear as he assaulted the young man.

But it wasn't the man himself that he was attack, but the arrow, driving the left arm home as the crystalline blade tip launched forward to meet the arrow in flight less than a meter after leaving the bow leaving both of the 'genin' in the explosion's blast radius. Hisato having prepared for this by curling his three long tails up in front of him to shield him from the blast of the explosive arrow, though it was a powerful explosion the man was able to use his pure strength to resist being pushed back and his stance allowed for him to ignore the pain from the explosion and burns that affected his tail. Pushing through the explosion his clawed right hand would reach forward grasping outwards as he attempted to pursue the opponent, attempting wrap his clawed finger around the tiny child's neck.

[King of Cats]

Well that was certainly beyond Yusuke's expecctations. His mouth opened when he saw Hisato flash forward and meet the arrow head on. Yusuke put his arms up to protect his face from the impending blast.

BOOM! The explosion went off and Yusuke flew backward. His flak jacket protected his organs from the explosion, but his arms were torn up. The genins went flying backward. As he soared through the air Hisato reached through the fading explosion. Yusuke could see his tails swirling behind him, and he knew that his time was up. The genin was no quitter though. He was falling backward and began weaving together handseals, as he finished Hisato grabbed him by the throat.

Looking Hisato in the eye Yusuke was essentially at his mercy. The Tsukino had him grabbed by the throat, but Yusuke had olded his chakra together already. He was greatly damaged, but he had yet to give up. Yusuke opened his mouth up and shot a torrent of water forward with 45 Speed and Strength. He aimed for Hisato's chest.

OOCShow

Suiton • Water Spout
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user shoots a torrent of water from their mouth towards an opponent up to 10 meters away at [Control] Speed and Strength. If it hits it will knock the opponent back 5 meters.

[Zao]

The slender fingers of the older Tsukino easily wrapped around the thin neck of the younger genin, at which point he could have easily exerted his full strength to snap the fragile neck of his opponent, sadly the Kiri that he lived in no was not like that of the past which his older clansman and Third Sword spoke of when killing was required. A pity, truly. But it would seem that this pup still had a bit of fight left in him as his mouth began to open, thought Hisato was tired of games.

Still clenching tightly on the sword hilt in his left hand, it swung up and around striking the body firmly on the bottom of his right jawline pinning the kid's mouth shut with enough for to break the jaw and most likely some teeth. But that wouldn't be all as the jutsu he had prepared would need to still escape his mouth but now with it pinned closed and the head turned to the side away from its original target of Hisato, from the force of the impacting strike...well the result might be rather ugly for his captive.

[King of Cats]

As Hisato jammed Yusuke's mouth shut, he let out a whince of pain. The force from Hisato's sword had broken Yusuke's jaw and his teeth were floating around in his mouth, along with a torrent of water. With his head cocked to the side Yusuke opened his mouth, or more he just relaxed his jaw and let it fall open. As his mouth widened the water he had prepared to blast Hisato with was expelled with great force. The pain was unbearable but Yusuke dealt with it. He didn't have any other choice. There was blood and teeth in the Water Spout jutsu, it was pretty disgusting.

Defeated, Yusuke hung in the air, held up by the elder Tsukino's claws. The ten year old boy was incredibly strong for a genin, but he simply wasn't enough in this fight against Hisato. The young Tsukino limply hung there, not daring to make another move and risk further pain. His whole jaw was ringing.

There was a horn blaring, signaling the end of the fight. Hisato had defeated Yusuke in a brutal fashion, and he was surely on his way to becoming a chuunin. Yusuke on the other hand was laying on the ground now, beaten and battered. He couldn't move his jaw and there were tears streaming down his face. This was his first defeat in such a brutal fashion. Kirigakure no Sato had grown soft, the ninja's without the killing edge of the Bloody Mist, but things were likely to change real fast.

As Yusuke laid in the arena, wallowing in his defeat, he felt a sudden and ominous feeling creep along his neck. The boy could see bright yellow eyes in the back of his mind. They were ominous, and terrifying. Yusuke shook with fear as he was seemingly watched from some unknown horror. The boy looked around the arena nervously. People were going berserk, screaming in terror and running out of the arena. The arena had quickly turned into chaos, and Yusuke helplessly laid on the cold hard ground. He didn't know it but there were great changes occurring in Kirigakure. The boy started balling, trembling with fear and under the watchful eye of someone beyond knowing.

[Zao]

"Hmp!" Suddenly the youth's body felt heavy, just after he had tossed down the boy like some ragdoll to the ground a strange sensation washed over him, then the ominous feeling of fear crept up the back of the Tsukino's fur as he turned to look back towards the center of the village. Of course, he wouldn't be able to see through the vial of mist that covered the village but this feeling, he knew it too well actually. But this was the first time he'd ever felt it from so far away. Yet, unlike normal the swordsman didn't experience the same level of fear, his body shifted into a slightly different stance than he'd used against his genin opponent causing his muscles to enlarge slightly more now, his focus become like that of a sword awaiting to fall upon an opponent.

Both of his normally dull grey eyes snapped open, and a half smile could be found on the lips of Hisato in that moment, "You've either done something extremely bold or extremely stupid, Kozan." Yes, it was the same fear aura that the other swordsman possessed, but how did he manage to increase its range to this point, was it washing over the entire village? The youth glanced down at his enhanced sword and shook his head, reaching over his left shoulder to sheath it now. "Seems I should go check that out, later kid." Part of the swordsman liked the kid, he was strong and willing to fight to the end, perhaps he'd check back in on this kid's progress later. It really was too bad that he wasn't a sword user, maybe he could be one of the new daggers in the future. Without another word the three tailed Tsukino crouched slightly building up strength in his legs before leaping up onto the nearby wall and then over it as he headed into the center of the village.