[KCW] The Fall

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Sun Apr 03, 2016 12:16 am

Banri stepped through the crowd, the multitude of people giving way to his looming presence. Just moments ago one of his people had leant over his shoulder and whispered sweet words of terror into his ears. The leader of the Black Operations group hated to hear of events he was powerless to control. His fury showed in his eyes if not in his demeanour as he stalked his way toward Hayate, watching as the man turned to see him. With one hand placed on his shoulder, he leaned forward and whispered through the bellowing crowd, "It would be wise for us to retreat inside. We have a lot to do and three days to do it."

Then he turned with a flourish of his black overcoat and strode right back the way he came, disappearing through the crowd as he entered the large metallic tower once more. The steel beams positioned like so many swords piled up, a symbol of military might. The yellow glow of the electrical lighting, beaming through as a symbol of hope and safety. The tower itself was a thing of beauty, surrounded by prosperity as it was. It symbolised all that Kumogakure was. All that it could very soon be.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 6:29 pm

For a moment, Hayate had been caught in the revelry of the day and his mind had stopped paying heed to the fact that many among the crowd wished him to be in prison, or even dead. He had steeled himself to not let that hamper or harm his feelings for his nation and he knew in due time the people would come to realize he was still the champion he had once been to them. Each time he kissed a baby on the forehead, shook someones hand, or had a child hug his leg, his will to protect Kumogakure had been reaffirmed. Each person who smiled at him let him know that there were those here who still knew who he was. Each shinobi that saluted him, those who had seen him on multiple battlefields single-handedly turn the tides of war...

All that mattered is that he was Raikage now. Yes, that he had the chance to better Kumogakure.

By now he had barely been through half the crowd when a hand suddenly reached out and touched his shoulder. In most circumstances, he would of been able to tell who, but given the crowd and complete sensory overload all six of his senses had been rather useless to this point, and all he knew is someone in very close proximity had a lot more chakra then everyone else in the crowd. Turning his head, his eyes met that of Banri's, and though the man's words didn't say much, his eyes told Hayate that something serious required their attention.

Already?

As Banri dashed into a black streak retreating back into the building Hayate bowed to his people, apologizing that he could not spend a moment with all of them, and explaining that he had just been informed there were important manners to attend to, and with that, he lept into the air and to all but the very best eyes of Kumogakure, would "disappear" as he moved top-speed to the tower, up the balcony and into the Kage's office.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:40 am

Hayate entered to find Banri sitting at a table with the other members of the council already assembled, including Syaoran and one of the same clan heads that had stood beside the new Raikage only moments ago. "We have a problem." Syaoran said in a firm voice, gesturing to the map laid out on the massive, rectangular steel table before him. The map showed the village of Kumogakure and the province surrounding it, and had several figurines placed upon it, similar in style to chess pieces but not of a design used in the game.

Banri took up the explanation from there, intoning "The good news is my men finally managed to find Fujiwara's missing armies. The bad news is that they are merely three days march from the village. My people can harry them as they approach, but even if I were to sustain casualties I could buy you at most five days, perhaps six. And I am not certain I wish to exchange capable shinobi for mere hours of delay each." he completed, sharing a frustrated look first with Syaoran and then with Hayate himself.

One of the council members elected from amongst those whom did not practice Ninjutsu joined in from there, "Do you have any alternative ideas, Raikage-sama?". The man was not dressed as finely as the others at the table, wearing more muted colours and modest clothing. The only ornate thing he possessed was the golden ring on his thumb with the council's insignia upon it, his symbol of office. He seemed unusually calm amongst all of the other councillors, even Banri was showing signs of distress. This had been the first time a hostile force had come close to the village in generations, and nobody was eager to test the rigorous defence mechanisms.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Sun Jun 05, 2016 12:36 am

Within moments Hayate had quickly surveyed the entire room, noting that beyond Banri and Syaoran, there seemed to be many other advisors and important figures in the village present in the room. This of course meant that whatever urgency existed, it was clearly important. Luckily, he did not need to wait long before Syaoran got to the point and unrolled a map on the imposing steel table that took the center stage between all those gathered there. The map showed the area Kumogakure was located in, and more specifically through the use of pieces, the armies that were surrounding them. As Banri explained the situation on how close to the village they were and how large they were in numbers, it caused Hayate to let loose a long, audible sigh.

He, frustrated like everyone else that this was the situation they were in, had to agree with Banri's decision making. After all, the man had just made light of the situation and for Banri to do that... well, it meant he truly believed Kumogakure was at stake- something that put Hayate all the more on the edge.

Placing his hand upon his face forehead gently and closing his eyes, Hayate addressed his council.

"Without a doubt I believe we would emerge victorious if they attempted to scale and siege Kumogakure- even for a shinobi village such as Kirigakure that would be a very hard fought battle... however we just recently finished rebuilding. With morale how it is, and the uncertainty in my recent rise to Raikage, I think the last thing we should do is let the battle happen on our own turf, at our own gates, and potentially in the streets where our own citizens live." The Raikage shook his head and lowered his hand. His eyes opened shortly after.

"I knew it would come to this, even if I hoped Fujiwara's men to not be so idiotic. ." The Raikage paced towards his desk and took his ceremonial hat off before slowly lowering it onto the desk. "The war is all but done- at this point everyone of Fujiwara's men is being led to an untimely and pointless death.." He removed his robe, folding it and putting it next to the hat. Raising his hand he clenched his fist.

"I suspect that they will be resting up more than usual in preparation for the next day's offensive- so I propose on the second night we perform a counter-offensive, personally lead by me.," Hayate exclaimed with eyes of cold steel. It was his hopes that if he was on the battle field- a man who could kill an entire army by himself and had in this war... that these fools would wake up and realize that they were fighting a battle not worth fighting.

"Syaoran, could you run the numbers on our defense? I plan to order all genin to defensive service in Kumogakure, and with you and the defensive systems we have in place I'm wondering what the minimum amount of higher ranked shinobi required to defend the village from any flanks is" he said before turning back to Banri. "As for you, could you run numbers on our offensive and the best strategy? I trust your decision making when it comes to the tactics of non-shinobi war Banri, as your experience and knowledge of Lightning Country is greater than anyone else.."

With his requests made, he turned to the rest of the group.

"If these two find this a reasonable action- then we have less than 2 days to prepare.."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 5:39 am

Syaoran and Banri glanced at each other once more across the table once Hayate had finished talking. After a silent and motionless exchange, Banri nodded in concession. Syaoran immediately began to speak, "If all the Genin and myself are to remain here, a group of one hundred and fifty jounin, two houndred special jounin and three hundred chuunin should suffice to hold the village. That leaves you a few thousand to lead into the field, if we take into account those away on missions." he replied. He had lead the village for years of war time, and had been chief amongst the shinobi administrators even before his short tenure as Raikage. The guardian wolf knew figures like these like the back of his hand.

Banri, on the other hand, had a much longer piece to contribute. "Fujiwara is a fool, he always has been. He does not command his armies, in truth his wife has always ruled his province. While Fujiwara may be weak, she is strong and she did not lead this army here to die. She has made a bet." The cloaked man began, all of the council turning to look up at him interestedly. It had been a long time since Banri had openly sat at the council table, and despite not officially being an elected member not one of the others questioned his presence. "The Lady Fujiwara has gambled her life and her power on this. That we cannot afford to fight them. And it seems that she may be right. With Murakami's armies in tatters, and each of the others having suffered casualties, Fujiwara's levies are the only whole force of any of the lords, including our own. Even if we destroy them, and end the rebellion, our nation's army will be vulnerable to an invasion from one of the other great countries and their allies, should they choose to be opportunistic. I propose we field the army to make her panic, make her think we've called her bluff. But in truth we meet with them to try and come to terms before any actual battle, and during that time we slay the witch. Once she is out of the picture Fujiwara will lose his spine and bow to us. Alternatively we simply wait for the other armies, I have already called all of those who remained loyal to Kumogakure's aid." He finished, staring across at Hayate.

The Raikage had planned some heroic charge, no doubt, with lightning bolts flying and the forces of nature tearing through ranks of men as shinobi unleashed their supernatural power on lowly samurai. But Banri had to be sure that that never came about. If either force lost too many men in this battle, the Lightning Country itself could be doomed.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:01 am

"Thank you Syaoran." Hayate said sternly as he bowed his head. The numbers were solid for defense to the point that Hayate was confident they would suffer little to on casualties and damage, however, he couldn't help but feel some distrust in his subordinates. While he had always been wary of Banri- the things he had learned on that fateful evening about Akino's passing had led to him abandoning any trust in Syaoran- the man who even in his death Akino trusted. It was a shame, as Syaoran, Banri, and Hayate working in tandem had the potential to decimate multiple armies. Their different styles and ways of thinking actually complimented each other, something that increased his disease each time he worked with the two men.

Well, in this situation I doubt either of them would scheme. This is a matter of extinction for the village. he thought, consoling himself and putting himself at ease.

Following Banri's opinion, Hayate shot the man a look before nodding and addressing the rest of his council. As he had expected when he asked Banri for his assessment, the man had delivered useful intelligence. However, Hayate had an overwhelming feeling that Banri had mistaken Hayate's plans and forgotten that because Hayate's ultimate goal was the unification of Lightning Country and the elimination of the feudal lord system, Hayate did not wish to slaughter the armies before him, in fact, he wished to spare as many lives as possible. While he had not originally desired too, he felt it was now the right time to vocalize his plans for the battle.

"As most of you are aware, my agenda has been set on the unification of Lightning Country under new terms. As such, I want to assure you all here and now that I have no desire to shed blood today. Beyond the weakness we would incur, more deaths would only stand as an obstacle to achieving a full unification." Hayate said as he began to pace around the table. "I fully intend to keep fighting to a minimum and utilize our offensive forces as a deterrent. The death of Lady Fujiwara and the liberation of her men is my goal."

Hayate left the table and approached the glass wall that looked out over the pond and parkways.

"I will not let Lightning Country be a land where the common man must die for the frivolous causes of nobility."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 4:45 am

Banri was, well, pleasantly surprised. He had not expected Hayate to actually put much thought into his battle plan, since he had so far proven himself more of a man of action than careful contemplation. Impressive.

Syaoran simply nodded in agreement, looking thoughtfully at the map laid out on the table. He seemed to already be doing calculations in his head regarding the personnel he was to position.

One of the other councilors, the farming representative, spoke up, however, "Excuse me, milords, but there's quite a serious problem here. You are all assuming that Lady Fujiwara will agree to talks. What happens if we field our army but she is not intimidated? What if she knows we will not risk mutual annihilation?"

Banri turned toward the farmer, sighing in mock irritation. In truth, he had planted the question himself. But the others need not be aware. "Then Hayate and I shall eliminate her and her husband as soon as possible to minimize damage."

"I see." the man replied.

oocShow

You could probably give a few orders to the other concilmen and dismiss the meeting now if you'd like

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Sat Jul 23, 2016 7:54 pm

Not quite a sigh but close to it, Hayate drew in a massive breath of air, his lungs filling up fully. He held the air there for a minute or two before ejecting it out of his nose, then turning his head back to Banri and Syaoran, nodding again with the two. It was true that a full scale strategy was not Hayate's forte- he was a bright man and particularly gifted in his sense of battle, but he was not a trained strategist in the sense of acting as a general. Perhaps it was because the man was not a man who could make bargains on the lives of others easily.

Once the councilor stated his case, Hayate turned his head to affirm Banri's words.

"I much prefer to handle this diplomatically as the more blood we spill, the weaker our country is, and the harder it will be to achieve my goal. But, as Banri has just explained, I am not afraid to show my might if I must." Hayate said as his hand raised into the air, his fingers wiggling as his knuckles cracked before shortly after locking into a fist. "As it stands, I may currently be the strongest man in the world. I merely hope that is a deterrent enough to stop the need for senseless killing."

By now, the world knew Nakajima Hayate. For better or for worse. But, none had seen his utmost potential yet... none truly knew the god-like level of destruction he was capable of inflicting. Turning to the other council men he let out a sigh.

His finger crooked to one of the men as he barked his orders. "You will begin evacuations to shelters- whichever ones Syaoran and you find the best." Soon after his finger moved to another man. "Work with the civilian food suppliers- I'm initiating emergency protocol and want a stockpiled supply of rations delivered to each shelter, enough to last at least double the time we estimate. The people must be assured they are safe." Turning again and pointing his finger once more, Hayate grinned. "I want you to organize a team to do a check of all defense systems, establish check points, and make sure our protocols can be followed through as they were intended upon their creation."

With that, he drew his robe and exited the room, his hand waving behind him for Banri to follow.

"We have work yet to do."

OOCShow

Sorry for the ego trip, I'm the highest stated character on the site so I'm assuming Hayate is known for being notches above even kage's...

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:25 pm

Slightly taken aback as he was, Banri stoically followed Hayate from the room. The others all began to stand, leaving the council room. Banri and Syaoran exchanged another moment of eye contact as the young wolf left the room, but otherwise nothing else of note really occurred.

The days passed quickly between the meeting and the day for which they had been given little time to prepare for. There had been much bustling about and busy work in preparing the village for a possibility of siege in such a short amount of time. It was about eleven thirty in the morning when a scout made his way back through the temple complex which served as the village's gates, and made his report. This report was relayed then, to all of the council members.

Banri, of course, had already known the information that was reported to him. But he listened carefully anyway. The man then turned and walked down the hallway, making his way to one of the many verandahs upon the mountain atop the sheer cliff face which served as a type of wall for the village. He was waiting there when Hayate arrived. "Shall we send an envoy to set up a meeting?" He questioned as the Raikage arrived.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Mon Aug 08, 2016 11:51 am

Nearly immediately upon his arrival, Hayate was greeted by Banri's questions. It was like a new record- usually there was some philosophical bullshit or playing around in Banri's game of chess that was life before he got down to business... but in some ways, this is how Hayate knew it was seriously a matter of Kumogakure's survival. Pushing aside these thoughts, he leaned against the wall and stroked his chin softly. "I'm worried that Envoy won't make it back alive... but if that's the case, then it would make our purpose ever more clear." he said pausing briefly, before returning to the question at hand. "I suppose we have no choice but to do so... So that's a yes,, and thank you Banri." he said. His eyes shifting he huffed.

"I don't suppose there's any type of seals or systems we could place upon our envoy men to... see what they see. Hear what they see? In the case that it comes to slaughter, I'd like evidence to show our people and those of the country... I suppose politically it would be good to explain why we bring our justice upon the enemy."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Tue Aug 09, 2016 12:01 am

"It seems you cannot make a soldier into a king overnight." Banri commented backhandedly, before turning to look at the Raikage. "They may be rebels but they are not criminals. Their claims against the Daimyo and his corruption in our village's favour are not entirely unfounded, as you should well know. They will obey Bushido to a fault; Fujiwara may only be ruler for show, but he is a very good show pony. As for a reason to destroy them..." Banri waved his hand toward the host appearing on the horizon to emphasise his point, "They have marched upon our doorstep. Breaking foes on our walls is no crime."

After he finished his explanation, Banri raised his outstretched hand in the air. He moved his fingers, making a series of gestures where certain fingers were pointing toward the sky while other remained balled in a fist. Then, he dropped his hand. For a while, nothing seemed to happen. And then, a man on a horse rode from the gates several hundred metres below them, making his way slowly toward the army that approached the village.

The pair stood on the balcony for several hours as the man approached the horde, and then returned. Still they waited, until the air beside Banri began to ripple. A red mask shuddered into view, with the distortions in the light expanding to reveal the rest of the black-clad man who appeared as if from thin air. "Banri-sama." He said loudly, before handing a white sheet of paper to the Bannin. Banri placed the paper within his coat without opening or looking at it, before saying to Hayate, "It seems they are willing to parley. Shall we be off?"

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Tue Aug 09, 2016 12:39 am

Hayate frowned at Banri's backhanded comment. It seemed like Banri never quite understood what he meant, for after all he was a champion, and the key being what he was the champion of... The People's Champion. His eyes darting to the Bannin, he spoke out in an authoritative tone. "Do you really think me the fool that much? Or perhaps you had forgotten our plans and the discussion we had with the council." Hayate said as he dropped his diminutive stance and stood up tall. "I very well wish to harm the least amount of men as possible- it only serves as a destabilization to our country, more so, for my unification dream to happen, clearly I need to be not an enemy to those people." he said scoffing as he crooked his finger. "We're on the same page here Banri. I have no intentions do destroy nor any desire too, I simply plan to have assurance for the worst scenario. Assurancee in the public eye, that, if they do anything rash, we have the means of proving that beyond more than just them marching on our territory that our that our original plan B, Banri, was more than warranted."

For the commander of the black ops, Hayate was quite surprised that the man hadn't thought about the PR ramifications of any move they did, even if justified. Then again, in fairness, he wasn't a public figure. That was Hayate, and Hayate needed to ensure undying favor-ability in every action he made. That meant if an envoy went south, that he had proof of it to show to the honor-filled men that their commander was less than honorable, even if it was extremely unlikely that would be the case. A kage had plans for every situation.

Before Hayate could further scold Banri for his misunderstanding of Hayate's intentions of simply safeguarding themselves, the messenger appeared. It seemed things were in place for negotiation.

"Sure, let us go."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Tue Aug 09, 2016 2:46 am

Banri simply stared deadpan at Hayate as he spoke. The dark man was not going to explain his reasoning, nor his chastising comments. He had no intentions of explaining the intricacies of Bushido on the eve of what could be a battle, nor did he have the patience. More pressing matters called than either man's pride. Instead he bit his tongue and took Hayate's attitude in his stride, simply bowing his head and replying with a venomous, "Yes, Raikage-sama." his eyes not softening for even a moment.

Afterwards, he straightened and extended his hand to his subordinate, awaiting Hayate to do the same. The red masked man took both of their hands, and Hayate began to experience that same feeling of being squeezed through a tight space as he had the night before. The world darkened around them once more, and pressure pushed on them from all sides as they travelled through the tightened hole in space toward their destination. Suddenly their surroundings solidified into reality once more, and they were standing at the entrance to the village gates. Banri gestured in the direction of the army, and with a sarcastic "By your leave." the man began to stride in the direction of the approaching host.

"We have about ten minutes to come up with a plan as to how we are going to slay the delicate lady Fujiwara. I am interested to hear what you have come up with in three days of thought." Banri finished as they walked.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:58 am

Hayate's eyes rolled. The vein in his forehead must of popped out, given the amount of fight he had to put in to counter his instinct to reach out and sucker punch Banri. This eventually lead to his eye twitching. "I'm glad you have your hands dipped so far in every manner that everything just goes according to the plans you've already laid out Banri." Sure, he was overly safe, but maybe it was because he didn't have backroom dealings going on at all times. Taking hold of the mans hand he felt himself tugged and pulled through space and time before finally appearing somewhere else.

Though he desperately wanted to not assassinate yet another target, it's not like they had much of a choice.

"Why ask such a question, I'm sure you already have an answer yourself that you put many men on to find." Hayate said in a hushed tone.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Fri Aug 12, 2016 9:37 pm

"Of course I do." Banri replied as he walked, not turning to look at the Raikage. His eyes remained unreadable beneath the straw hat on his head. "And your faith in me warms my heart. If you would like to simply do things how I have determined to be the most effective, we may. However, I was curious to see if you would rather do things your way."

Banri walked across the green grass at a regular pace, allowing his dark trousers and brown haori to drag through the tips of the blades. He seemed content to just make his way in his own time to get to the army that was setting up camp across the way. A large white canvas tent was already visible, presumably the war council pavilion.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Sat Aug 13, 2016 9:28 am

"Then why waste time explaining my plan, which you probably won't approve of? There's no need to pretend to care what I think, Banri." he said with a slight chuckle. He didn't believe for a moment Banri truly wished to hear what he had to say or think on the subject... crassly he responded. "Given my lack of tactical information on the layout of the camp and the current setup, I really can't devise much of any kind of plan, though I might add that Genjutsu might be rather useful in this situation given the relative ease of using Genjutsu on their forces..."

Hayate continued alongside him.

"I'd rather follow a plan made by an educated party and instead offer guidance to tweaking it, so let's hear it Banri."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 3:21 pm

Banri nodded thoughtfully, allowing the silence to stretch out a while longer as he considered. "I believe once we approach we will be taken to a tent to meet with Lord Fujiwara and his Chuugen. He'll ask if we've come to offer terms of surrender, we'll refuse and ask the same of him and he will of course refuse. Being the fool he is I wouldn't put it past him to throw his wife's assessment that we won't dare engage in combat in our face. Our options start in the tent. I would prefer to slay Lady Fujiwara in a clandestine manner, so I believe once we finish the meeting it would be beneficial to disguise ourselves and find her and kill her in her tent. Alternatively if you're confident we can get out alive and she's at the table, you could simply slay here there and we could flee." Banri explained, turning to look at Hayate.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:33 am

Hayate listened to Banri's plan, surprised at the lack of concrete details or decisions and equally surprised that he gave two options. The second one seemed out of the question for Hayate... If they slayed the Lady right at the table, it would be clear what Kumogakure and it's Kyounin had done. It would hamper relations and make his goal a bit harder... With that in mind he fired off his reply.

"We'll play it by ear. Clandestine is best. I can't unify a country if I'm known for killing people at the bargaining table- but if not, do keep in mind I am the fastest man alive. If we need to book, and unless they have S-Rank MN, there shouldn't be anyone who can hold a candle."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:08 am

Banri smiled at the mention of unifying the country. His grin seemed to pity Hayate, and Banri's eyes turned from the man onto the camp in the distance which they approached slowly. "Hayate." Banri began to speak, however his voice was somehow different from how Hayate had ever heard it before. The barbed sarcasm and condescension was nowhere to be found, and in its place seemed to be... sincerity? He seemed to hesitate for some time, as if gathering the words. In the end, "Good Luck" was all he said.

After some time they came to the edge of the camp. By the time they arrived the majority of the tents were set up, with a third of them between the pair and the large central tent thought to hold the enemy's war table. After introducing them as the Raikage's parley party, the guards allowed them to pass the tents with soldiers taking care of their various wants to the tent in question. Escorted of course. Soon they were ushered through the large opening in the tent, held up by a wooden frame. "Ah, so they've arrived." came a weasel like voice from a man on the only true wooden chair in the whole tent. With long black hair tied into a top knot and a bright green kimono, as well as a fine set of black lacquered armour that had definitely never seen battle, and a pinched face sat whom could only be Lord Fujiwara, Otemoto. The first to besiege Kumogakure no Sato in just over five hundred years. "Nice of you to join us. Have you come prepared to talk terms?" The man said, smug confidence seeping through every word. Even his eyes screamed that he thought he had them caught.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:06 am

Nerves had a funny way of breaking down even the greatest legends and heroes. Hayate had fought dangerous missing ninja internationally wanted. He'd fought giant monsters... He'd fought god-level spirits... He'd fought in wars, lost all he loved... And still tense situations like these seemed to put him on edge. Taking all his focus to hold himself together, he unfortunately didn't pick up at all on the character breaking sincerity Banri has just shown, and instead disregarded his words completely. His mind focused only on the task ahead. Before long they would be whisked off through the entire camp to the center, lead by guards and eyed by all the men in the camp.

Is their look fear, is it the desire to kill, or is it one of confusion? Are they, my fellow country men, as torn inside as me?

Before long he found himself in the presence of one smug, ugly man known as the Lord Fujiwara. Of the nine lords, he was probably the one Hayate held in the most disdain, second only to the Hojo lord. He sat in a wooden chair and seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood, challenging Hayate about "talking terms" as if he had the higher hand.

"You know why I'm here, Otemoto." Hayate snapped back. He was a polite man but he did not suffer fools, nor did he appear weak in the presence of the other lords.

"Could you be the first to besiege Kumogakure in 500 years? Sure. Could also do some damage to us? Probably. But would your forces even be around to celebrate it? No. Your name would go down in the chronicles of history as a failure, and every one of our countrymen you lead to death's ghosts would forever haunt your existence and lineage for the foolish act you committed." he paused and locked his eyes on Otemoto's, intimidatingly. "I'm not a man for games. You know very well your forces would be crushed under the might of Kumogakure. We would suffer damage and loss, but in the end every one of my soldiers is worth a far larger amount of yours... you would fall swiftly to a shinobi army." Hayate waved his hands as if to illustrate the ease crushing them would be.

"But I didn't come here to belittle you, Lord of the Fujiwara. I came here to beg you, Otemoto. Not for my sake or Kumogakure's, as we are clearly posed to be the victor, but for the sake of our country and all those of your kingdom. Do not waste their lives. Do not force my hand- for if you do it will swiftly find it's place on the throat of your forces." Hayate was not kidding. He could alone destroy the entire camp in minutes, even faster with Banrin in tow.

Hayate had no intentions of showing anything other than his "diplomatic" intentions. Least until his wife appeared. He unfortunately had already surmised that Otemoto was a fool and a puppet, and even though they would march to their death, the forces of the Fujiwara would likely do so.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 3:14 pm

Otemoto waited for Hayate to finish. The whole time he simply smirked at the man in robes, while gesturing to one of the servants behind him. As the man turned and walked to a sideboard, Hayate finished speaking. As soon as he had finished, the Chuugen and military advisers stationed around the large table on Fujiwara's side began to chuckle. The lord himself covered his mouth as he let a little laugh free. "You are a funny one, Lord Raikage." the man replied, filling the word lord with so much sarcasm even the dullest man would have understood. "But I have no intentions of marching on such a fortress. I'd break on the walls. We will maintain our siege until your starving people beg you to surrender, I think." the lord continued, his irritating smile widening into a mad grin. "And if you choose to attack us, well. Then you'll have doomed the nation. We both know this nation cannot survive either of our forces suffering heavy losses. So the question is, are you willing to sacrifice the country, or will you surrender to me?"

As the lord spoke, smoky trails of incense rose from the sideboard where the servants had lit a few sticks. They then brought pitchers of water around to pour first for their lords and then offering some to Hayate and Banri. Banri allowed his cup to be filled, and yet made no move to drink. He simply sat in silence, awaiting Hayate's response. The man knew that his job would likely come after the meeting. With a bitter, musky smell on the air, the inside of the tent awaited Hayate's decision.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 3:27 pm

As the pompous fool delivered a sarcastic and brutally flawed thought, servants came with water. Following Banri's lead Hayate allowed his glass to be poured but also made no movement to drink it. Instead, suddenly deviating from Banri's lead he crushed the glass in his hand, the small wounds from the glass healing almost immediately.

"I'm not one to let my people do things on their own, Otemoto. Where you and I differ is while you avoided battle, I was forged from it." Hayate said, his gaze burning like fire.
"The thing about that plan of yours is you assume I'd sit by idly... and I swear to you, if it comes to it, I will escort the caravans and supplies into the village my self." he paused then continued.
"But I must stop you there... because before it would ever come to that, do you really think a tactic such as besieging to starvation would work on a shinobi city? A city filled with people who can summon creatures or items from where they desire? A city where people can make water?" he laughed.

"Oh, you really are a funny one." Hayate said, lowering his aggressive stance and returning himself to a relaxed demeanor.

"I will stalemate until your people see you for what you are... your wife... if I have to."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 3:44 pm

Otemoto's face dropped to one of unguarded fury. "I am not some fool to be tricked into such things. If you could survive on simply that there would be no need for you to trade at all, or have farms or anything of that sort. You seek to deceive me into surrendering my advantage. Well I wont! And any men you attack you must be responsible for! You will murder the country if you attack my men to break the siege!" Fujiwara raged. He threw his hands in anger as he performed his little tirade, and his captains simply sat by, awaiting for his temper to subside. There was no need to involve themselves at this stage.

That was when Banri calmly chimed in. "The other provinces will have their armies here in a weeks time. Your siege will be for naught then in any case."

That only seemed to enrage Fujiwara further. He seemed on the verge of tossing them from the tent, but he was clearly unwilling to do so already. He glanced over his shoulder at the side board, and then back to the pair in front of him. "Those fools will be bound by the same restrictions as you! They won't dare harm the country."

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:11 pm

Hayate grinned as his words sent the "lord" into a little temper tantrum befitting of child more so than a leader. His grin grew even wider when Banri finally chimed in, making note of the many armies on their way... that grin then found itself turning into a hearty chuckle. Water flowed forth from his hand as he created a small amount- his other hand then weaving it slowly into a nearby empty glass of one of the captains, offering him a drink. He bowed his head, still chuckling all the while.

"There's no tricks here. I can create water... and food? Sure, we need to trade. We need to farm.. but your siege tactic relies on us shutting our city and blocking any of that coming in... which again, to repeat since you didn't understand, is rather futile as your dealing with people who can literally teleport items." he said grinning. It really was amazing what chakra allowed for.

"But even beyond that... even beyond the fact that you will be surrounded and have now bargaining power... you still think you hold the chips? Do you not realize the tables have turned? Those laying siege will become the besieged?" Hayate said laughing even harder.

"I'll connect the dots for you. You will be surrounded by armies and my forces. You will have no route of escape and no route of resupply. But unlike my forces, you on the other hand can't teleport food. You can't make water. You don't have ninja that run faster than even see able by your eyes sneak supplies in,." Hayate made his hands raise into the air in a "dunno" pose.

"Your armies will starve. They will become weak... and I won't have to kill anyone. They will become starved, weak, and desperate... and mad at the fool who put them through hell on earth. You will not even need to be killed, nor your wife. You'll fade into obscurity as your forces leave you, having realized you brought nothing but desolation... having realized at any moment they could jump ship... You see, my men are faithful till death on idealism... yours... they follow that hand." Hayate's hand sprung forward, the water he had earlier placed in a cup flying back out.

"That feeds them."

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Mon Oct 10, 2016 3:51 am

Otemoto glared red faced at Hayate for some time. You could almost hear his teeth grinding as his clenched fists squirmed at his sides. Clearly he was beyond furious that anyone had spoken to him in such a manner. His advisers were not so calm themselves, each in turn staring daggers into Hayate's chest. Were their looks actual blades, Hayate would have been torn apart then and there. Fujiwara seemed to struggle with something before he shut his eyes and shuddered. The redness left his fast as he exhaled slowly. Once again calm he opened cold and aloof eyes once more.

"Your threats frustrate me, but they do not impress me." He said simply, and yet very slowly. His eyes glanced almost too casually over at the side board, before returning to the pair at the other end of the table. He waited a few moments, as if considering something. "If you do not wish to surrender, then I suppose there is nothing for it." He finished. "I will not relent until you jumped up, honour-less dogs learn your place. You may leave if you have nothing else to tire me with. I have other matters to see to."

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:42 am

Hayate frowned. The man's pride and desire to win took precedent over even his own men's life... This was what was wrong with his country. Memories of that fateful day in the Hojo capitol came flooding forward.

"If eliminating a man like him, who's existence only furthers the pain my countrymen and the country I love so dearly makes me an enemy of the state I'm gladly able to take on that pain."

His fist trembled as he remembered the hallowed words that had changed the course of not only his life, but that of his country's. Every fiber of his being wanted him to slide his feet across the ground and then seamlessly send the lightning produced through the necks of everyone in the tent- every corrupt man who played with Fujiwara's forces lives like they were toys...

"I have taken the worst wound I could ever today- those who loved me no longer will- the woman I love. The daughter I care so deeply for... because I have branded myself a traitor. I have thrown away the dream that allowed me to live as long as I have... the dream of Raikage that every last damn person I've cared about put their faith in me for... but this is why I have no doubts or fears in my heart. I'll never forget them or stop loving them, and it's because of this that I'm willing to sacrifice everything."

His mind continued to race through the words he had said that day, and it continued to, until it finally stopped on one single line.

"I'm not going to back down when the fate of this country is on the line. I'll confront everyone head on and I won't stop until this country is united not as seven separate lands but as one true country. I don't care if I'm remembered, but I do know this: the textbooks will speak of a country where everyone had the privileges I grew up with. A country that was ours, a country that was united as one land!"

Not seven separate lands... but one true country.

This was what he was fighting for. Remembering those words allowed him to let go of his rage and be the politician he had to be.

Exiting the tent he left a final parting gift for Otemoto in the form of a foreboding statement.

"Those... those who willingly sacrifice their subordinates... are scum. They are the honour-less dogs. Unfortunately, those who have no honour do not command the hearts of men for long."

And with that, Hayate had left the tent.

"Shall we, Banri?"

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:51 pm

Banri simply grunted in assent before turning and making his way toward the opening of the tent. The men around the table ceased paying attention to the pair and began to talk among themselves. Only Fujiwara watched the two leave the tent.

As they made their way outside, a group of four guards took up their weapons to escort them from the camp. Banri turned to glance at Hayate, raising a questioning eyebrow. Did Hayate want to deal with their escort, would Banri, or should they wait until they were outside and re-enter?

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Thu Nov 03, 2016 8:45 pm

Hayate had originally planned to sneak back into the camp- to carry out the assassination... but stealth would only go so far. Regardless of what happened next, unless something completely happened, whether the kill would be attributed to him or not no one would ever believe that it wasn't Kumogakure who made the move... his planned was flawed from the start and would have never worked... how he could have not foreseen that.... He'd never have known.... and yet in this realization he had not found defeat, but the key to success. This situation was far more perfect than any had ever been. And once more, the vows he took in the capitol before, he knew would had to be done.

History would know him as a liberator- and a saviour. As he dragged his feet, he spun suddenly, static arcing off them as his arms flung wild- his kinesis driving the lightning through all the men surrounding them as he gave a solemn "I'm sorry-" Moments later the thuds of their bodies hitting the ground would resonate through the grounds. His blows would not kill- but it would surely remove the consciousness of the men for a while.

"Incapacitate, those are my orders. We're here to spill the blood of a select few, I will have no more or no less, Banri." he said authoritatively, gesturing for Banri to lead the way to the target.

SpoilerShow

Kinesis + using this to generate enough electricity for him to then kinesis. Raiton • Static Generation
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By channeling chakra into his feet, Hayate imbues them with Raiton Chakra. For the next 4 posts, every time his foot hits the ground, 6 inch long sparks of static electricity will fly from them into the immediate area. These sparks are sharp like senbon but don't have any real force behind them.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 8:33 pm

Banri bowed solemnly at the waist, inclining his head with closed eyes. Whether he approved of the order or not was not conveyed in the exchange, but clearly he intended to obey without question. He turned and walked through the camp. Any time a soldier glanced in their direction a well aimed pebble laid them flat on the ground.

Soon, the camp became aware of the two shinobi moving through their midst, and soldiers came forth to challenge the duo. Banri, however, simply continued to calmly walk toward the group which came toward them armed. The captain was shouting something about treachery, but it was unimportant since the man in black so swiftly had him on the ground after dancing around his blade and kicking in his kneecap with a sickening snap. There was a flurry of movement as the leader of the black ops division danced between the armoured soldiers, and it was uncertain as to whether Banri truly touched the others at all or if they simply fell over themselves. He had moved in such a way that it was almost as if he had simply moved around them, and they had passed out of their own accord.

The man opened the flap on a tent to allow Hayate to precede him inside, and there sat a most beautiful woman. With her coal hair done in a high bun with a magnificent comb made of luxurious gold and set with radiant sapphires, the woman smiled happily upon seeing them enter. Her kimono of grey and blue seemed thicker than most men, while the weave of golden rope fixed around her waist screamed of the opulence of her province. "My master and I wondered when you would come." she said with a fanatical grin. Her eyes danced with dangerous madness, an all consuming fire of passionate hunger. "Have you come to do me the honour you so graciously bestowed upon Lady Murakami?"

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Thu Dec 15, 2016 5:15 pm

He had never really thought he would gain the respect of Banri, nor had he thought Banri would have gained his respect... but the two men who stood as the paragon of Kumogakure were such an imposing pair they were like gods as they moved through the camp to it's center, finally entering the tent to finish the task they had set out. Ignoring her greeting, Hayate lowered his hat as his hand rose to chest level, stretched out towards her.

"Lady Fujiwara..." he said as lightning cackled about his arm. "For crimes against the country- even the own people who serve you, you are hereby sentenced to d-"[/color]

Her... master?Hayate's eyes shot open as his mind went wild. If she had not been pulling the strings... and there was no way in hell her husband was... then? The very hairs on Hayate's back stood up as his eyes widened in horror.

"And who might that be, Fujiwara?" he said calmly.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:47 pm

Lady Fujiwara carefully stood up and stepped over to a small side board table that had been set up in her tent. She began to light a stick of incense as she chuckled to herself. "Perhaps I could tell you. If you ask the right questions. However, I think you already know the answer." she tantalised. She sat down once more upon a large cushion, smiling up at the pair. "Oh and do put that away. It will be useless to you here." she waved, referring to the crackling lightning that surrounded the incumbent Raikage.

After lifting a glass of water to her mouth, she sipped once more. "I feel our time is limited, so I suggest you ask away."

Banri simply stood at Hayate's side, perplexed as to how calmly the lady Fujiwara was taking this. His brows were furrowed as he considered something. He knew he had to have missed some detail, or she would not be so comfortable.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 3:54 pm

His action... the lightning on his hand... the lightning... had no use here? Her confidence, what does this mean? His eyes narrowed even more as his brow also furrowed. In the back of his head something told him he knew the answer. IN his gut he could feel it... and yet he pushed it away. He didn't want it to be true. It... can't be. His eyes looking around the room... he tried to talk himself out of it but ultimately wound up with one answer. To trust his gut. It had never betrayed him like his mind had. Sighing, he lurched forward as the lightning arced off his hand on a path through the ladies chest.

"You're going to have to answer for your sins today, Banri." he called out calmly, hinting exactly what his suspicion was to his fellow lord. Immediately following this he dropped into a stance, prepared for what would likely come next. Hayate was not there mere Jounin he had been before. If his suspicion was right... he hadn't ended things upon that mountain, or if he had, someone did something to bring a great threat back... and this time... this time he'd need to end things once and for all.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 9:09 pm

The lightning stuck her chest true, and the woman fell backward onto the ground with a shriek. The crackling arc continued to course across her chest, streaking blue-yellow light in painful waves as the woman screamed on the floor. Except it seemed to be going for far too long. And the screaming was transforming slowly into a shrill laugh. The lady sat back up as the lightning continued to be dragged through a hole in her crimson kimono into a blue stone embedded in her chest.

"I told you that was useless here. My master has bestowed upon me many gifts. This is but one of them." She said, rising to her feet. The lightning continued to stream into the stone until all of the lightning surrounding Hayate was sucked from him into it, leaving a dull glow emanating from the stone itself. Just as this finished, Hayate heard a cough from behind him. Flecks of liquid touched the back of his neck.

Turning around would reveal Banri, leaning heavily on a tent pole with his hand over his mouth. Drops of blood trickled between his fingers as his chest heaved painfully. It was about that time that it would hit Hayate. The incense had been a two part poison, and it would be working through Hayate's body now that he had inhaled the second half. The poison was designed to weaken the body, and cause nausea, but also to prevent the mingling of physical and spiritual energy that allowed a shinobi to manifest chakra. It was a poison that tainted a person's physical energy, and it was coursing through the Raikage's veins.

PoisonShow

Basically Locks Nin+Gen +Nausea +-5 str -5 tai.

this is at full effects tho. I assume Hayate's abilities will do something about it and like.. halve them.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 8:49 pm

Hayate wasn't surprised when his lightning didn't kill her, and instead was sucked into some kind of gem. The interesting thing about that, however, was it was still his chakra whether it crackled or resonated in the gem or not... and well, it just so happened he had the ability to control his lightning no matter where it ended up... just as he shook his hand to do that, he felt a little drained, even a little dizzy. He was incapable of using... his kinesis? No... his chakra- before he had time to finish his thought he felt liquid hit the back of his neck only to see Banri weakened. It seemed they had been poisoned. Had he had his cloak up before entering this would not of been a problem, but unfortunately he hadn't. His arrogance betrayed him.

He'd have to act fast. There was no way they had touched, punctured, or injured them... and none of them were shinobi... which meant the poison was airbourne. Surprisingly for an airbourne poison it was quite powerful... but that aside it was clear the incense was responsible. Quickly, he spread each each foot shoulder-length apart and lowered his core before unleashing a rifle of blows.

Each blow would sound like thunder falling, and the flurry would first knock over the incense, likely putting it out, and redirecting the remainder of it back at the lady... along with the force of the blows themselves.

USEDShow

Lightning’s Shadow • Rolling Thunder
B-Rank Stance Taijutsu
By taking a wide footed stance, each foot shoulder-length apart, Hayate will put himself in a stance that is in-conducive to moving fast (-9 Speed) however allows him to focus a tremendous amount of energy and strength into his upper body, allowing him to make abnormally potent movements with his upper body. (+9 Strength)

Lightning’s Shadow • Thunderous Blow
A-Rank Maneuver Taijutsu
Prerequisite: 35+ Speed, 30 Strength
Utilizing his extraordinary speed and his high strength, Hayate will deliver a powerful straight punch forward, the sheer amount of strength and speed the punch is thrown at displacing a pocket of hot air around his fist that is capable of causing first-degree burns due to the high level of friction. Effectively extending his punch by 7 meters, the air pocket is 2 meters in diameter and moves out in one direction only. Getting hit by it is like being hit by Hayate's actual fist though at a 2/3rds of his strength. Additionally, if Hayate is wearing an elemental cloak, the element will imbue the air pocket that comes off his fist, adding it's effect to it.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 7:30 pm

Fujiwara gasped and threw up her hands instinctively to ward off the blows, grunting as they smacked against her arms tearing brightly coloured kimono sleeves and charring the ends. The scent of burning hair filled the air as red marks signalled the places on her arms and body where the blows had connected, leaving superficial burns.

With an exasperated growl she threw down her arms and dashed forward. "How dare you!" she howled in rage, throwing a swift punch into Hayate's abdomen.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:10 am

Hayate, albeit operating slower than usual was still quite fast, specially comparable to most. As the Jounin's fist flew through the air in a fury, he kept his eyes fixed on the lady, his senses attuned to the rush of combat they would skip no beats as they collected information from his surroundings. Things were not good, and he had a feeling so familiar it made him want to scream. Regardless, the adrenaline of his body kicked into higher gear, his chakra doing the same as his noble engine struggled to try and flush his system. It of course wouldn't work- the poison hadn't blocked his pathways. He hopped Banri could hold on- or at least be in good enough condition to provide some support. Even though the poison hit him harder, Banri was still a powerful man.

With the incense out, I just need to hold off long enough for my metabolism to push the poison out. I have a feeling though that this is just the beginning.

As the lady blocked his punches, he began to switch stances, noting how it hadn't damaged her nearly as bad as it should have. It was clear to him that she was no longer normal. No longer just a bitchy lady who controlled her husband. As soon as her muscles twitched for her to dash forward, Hayate was moving out of his stance and into his next move. With ferocious speed he sprang to the side in an arc, so that he could build more momentum and gain more speed, but still bring himself right to the lady as if her attack would hit.

At the moment his arm would lower and he would strike her at the neck, moving around her and "through her" in a matter that used his full speed to create an effect that would seem like a mere blur.

USEDShow

Lightning’s Shadow • Watchful Eye
A-Rank Discipline Taijutsu
Prerequisite: 30 Tai, 35 Instinct
Possessing immense instinct and perception, Hayate is cognizant of even the most subtle details around him, to a point where he can even pick up on the slightest tension changes in an opponent’s body allowing him predict their movement before it is complete or even read what someone is writing by the way the top of their pencil moves. At times his eyes seem to move on their own will, rapidly tracking an amount of movements equal to his [Instinct]/3. A downfall to this technique however is that while his eyes may be aware of movement, his body is not always capable of knowing and keeping up.

Lightning’s Shadow • Volatile Nature
C-Rank Stance Taijutsu
An advanced footwork technique that makes use of good sense of space and high speeds, when Hayate strikes a target he strikes "through" them with grazing blows to move past or by rotating his body past them. This means essentially with each consecutive strike he places himself on the opposite side of his opponent for his next strike. If Hayate's movement speed is greater than the opponents Instinct, this will seem like a blur and will be hard to follow as he dances in an untraceable flurry around them.

Lightning’s Shadow • Lariat
B-Rank Maneuver Taijutsu
Similar to a clothesline maneuver, by holding out his arm and bending it at the elbow making an "l" shape rather than leaving it straight, Hayate will produce more tension creating a far more rigid strike. He will then attempt to strike his opponent so that his arm wraps around their upper chest and neck, delivering a tremendous amount of force in the process before throwing them off their feet and into the ground. When performed from a stand-still or with in short distances, this technique holds more than enough power crush a throat and break some of the bones in the upper chest with ease on impact alone, not even considering the damage from smacking into the ground. When delivered from a running position and longer range, the move reaches it's truly terrifying potential, the momentum aiding Hayate's Lariat and allowing it to be delivered a [(Speed + Strength)/2] strength. For most mortal men, the full running Lariat is easily capable of snapping spines and completely caving in the neck and upper chest.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:10 pm

Fujiwara saw Hayate's approach and changed tact. Her movements appeared as if she were unaware of them, as if the burning passion and hatred in the woman's eyes were totally detached from her actions. There was no thought or strategy in those eyes, and yet her body moved as if she had planned his approach from the beginning. Her movements became refined and polished, whereas before they had been wild and unbridled.

The sudden change saw her step back with one foot and turn to face Hayate with her chest when he came to pass her. Her chin down and angled to accept his attack, her arm reached up and clutched at his arm as it struck her moving body which attempted to move along with him. Then, with one foot planted she spun, continuing his momentum around her but pulling him further than he had originally wished to go, knocking him off balance. In that moment her spare arm swung forward, charged with a lightning Hayate had not seen her channel.

Her arm had turned entirely blue, with black ink markings running down it. The lightning which encased her flat hand was also a startling electric blue, and her hand approached his overbalanced, still moving body. The chop was covered in lightning and was aimed to slam into the gap directly below Hayate's sternum.

UsedShow

Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop
A-ranked Raiton Nintaijutsu
The user will first prepare themselves and take a single hit, while using one arm to lock the opponent in place. During this time, they will be charging Raiton chakra to their other arm. They will then continue the opponent's striking momentum, but pull them further than originally anticipated thereby taking away their balance (successful on a Taijutsu+strength/2 battle). It is in this moment that they have lost balance that the user will suddenly reverse trajectory and deliver a horizontal chop covered in lightning to their opponent. This lightning delivers extremely painful electric shocks to the opponent's entire body, applying the Raiton passive and causing 3rd degree electrical burns on the point of contact, while streaming arcs over the remainder of the effected body part which burn to the second degree. Furthermore, the intense strength of this blow and the opponent's off balance state often means that the opponent is thrown back by the blow and lightning's combined force, usually around 5 meters.

Fujiwara's Taijutsu+strength/2 = 40

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:34 pm

As Hayate was moments from impact, his eyes widened as Fujiware moved in a manner that was simply inhuman- least for her. It was too late to adjust his course. Still, Hayate did not have time to give into the fear of the unknown. He did not have cognitive capacity to waste on the fact that Fujiwara was certainly no longer a normal human- not in the slightest. Instead, utilizing the fullness of his abilities, every ounce of his senses, he prepared to let her win this struggle. When her arm struck his- when her grip rounded his forearm and moved to spin him round... time slowed. When she was on one foot... with his momentum still going- even though knocked off balance... he had not for a moment faltered, and with timing and technique he made sure the with one foot planted he swung himself round, pivoting in a manner to keep his momentum.

The cackling and flashing of lightning ever-present, Hayate didn't flinch. She was aiming for his chest, but she would never reach it. He continued bravely on his path, his mind focused on executing his counter-counter precisely. Long ago his father had taught him that to strike was to leave someones self open. Though he had meant this in the political sense, this was a universal truth. In order to execute her move, the lady had to in turn put her self on one leg in a vulnerable position. So, he would make use of the momentum she let him keep, and with all his momentum, all his weight, he would plant his foot and then pivot, making a move aiming to flip and throw the lady to the ground.

In likely hood this move would damage his arm- maybe dislocate it or break it due to the stress that would be put on it... but in the process, he'd be able to throw her off, or away from slamming a lightning infused arm through his chest. The whole maneuver and exchange would be so fluid and beautiful that the two would appear to be dancing, to anyone who onlooked.

USEDShow

Lightning’s Shadow • Arcing Nature
D-Rank Maneuver Taijutsu
In the case the Hayate needs to rapidly switch directions or move away from something without losing speed, by planting his next step firmly, Hayate will pivot on it allowing him to redirect himself and continue on his path without losing any speed. This is particularly useful for performing feints.

Nafan~ · Post by **Nafan~** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:46 pm

Fujiwara's body once more moved as if it possessed a mind not of it's owner. As she screamed in equal parts fear and frustration, her body whirled through the air. Hayate had continued his movement and attempted to through her, but her body had forced her to leap from that one leg in response before she was forcefully removed from the ground.

In doing that, she maintained enough control over her airborne self to spin around the arm that she held and redirect her palm to strike the shoulder in mid air instead. She would still be thrown, but she would take more than Hayate had bargained with her. The full force of her momentum, her weight and the strength of her technique all came to bear on the single point of his shoulder socket, preparing to equal parts tear and sear away the arm she had captured as she was thrown.

Taiga · Post by **Taiga** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 4:11 pm

Moments after Hayate made his counter-attack, time seemed to speed up for a moment as Lady Fujiwara went flying, nearly biting the dust. However, she too was prepared to counter as she lept to avoid wiping out and re-oriented herself to strike his shoulder. Time once more slowed as Hayate's senses sharpened to a point. With the Lady Fujiwara behind him, he planted his other fist, and from his lower position and the last of his momentum pushed upwards with his legs, his core rotating as a high amount of torque turned his body into a spring. It wouldn't stop the Lady, but it would buy him the time he needed.

Instantly his body would unwind and as it did, his fist would strike the lady who was above him in the stomach, with full force, just as the searing burns of her electrical arm grazed his neck and damaged his shoulder. In her vulnerable airbourne position, unable to resist or have too much strength above him, he would be able to likely strike her hard enough to stop her blow from being too damaging.

USEDShow

Lightning’s Shadow • Skyward
D-Rank Maneuver Taijutsu
Starting from a low position, Hayate pushes upwards with his legs and rotates his core to create a high amount of torque while simultaneously moving his fist up towards an opponents chin or chest. This punch delivers a high amount of force capable of knocking people equal to his strength or less off their feet. For opponents weaker than Hayate, for every point of strength he has over them they are sent flying 1/2 meter into the air.