Underground Rumbling

[Texas]

Akihiko was especially excited for today. He was going to train with Mariya, a shinobi that the pink haired boy had met prior. She was someone that was assigned to somewhat keep watch of the boy. Although, Aki still didn't know fully why. None-the-less he was especially excited to show off some of the skills he had learned during the time in between meeting each other. This excitement caused Akihiko to get ready and prepare himself. He wanted to impress Mariya, so this time he would attempt to be on time!

The child woke up got dressed as quickly as he could. It was an early morning training session. He grabbed an apple and left through the front door of his family home. The shinobi sped through the village of Kumo. His pink hair would only be a swift sight as he rushed around the village. Akihiko arrived at the Raikage's main building. The young delinquent took his normal route into the building and made his way to the basement. The guards assigned to the stairway leading to the dome like basement only looked at the child with some minor amount of fear. It was a short while ago where he almost went berserk and caused some minor injuries. As he made his way to the bottom of the stairs, he looked at one of the guards with his head tilted ever so slightly. "BLAHH" he shouted with his tongue out. This caused the guard to instinctively whip out one of his kunai. When the guard realized it was just a joke, he looked down at the child with just disappointment. Akihiko broke out in laughter as he entered the training room dome beneath the Raikage's building. As he walked into the dome, he continued to laugh, but decided to take a bite of his apple. The combination of a half chewed bite of apple and laughter from the child was a sight that was... unbecoming.

[Taiga]

Mariya, as expected, would be at the rendezvous point not one, not two, but ten whole minutes early. Her hair perfect. Her gear straightened. Her uniform in perfect condition. Mariya’s eyes darted about the horizon of the training ground impatiently for Akihiko. Shinobi protected time- and on time was early. Mariya was preparing her verbal scolding- err speech, in her head, when to her surprise she noticed a young man walk by… it was Akihiko! He was actually a few moments early. Her jaw nearly dropped as she cleared her thoat.

Aisatsu.

It was what all good shinobi did. All proper members of society. To properly greet each other. She bowed her head slightly to her subordinate and then greeted him kindly. ”Good morning Akihiko.” she said not giving him any compliments on being on time. She was surprised, but you do not reward people for doing what is already expected. He’d have to do more than that to get her praise.

”It’s been a while- I’m sorry but I was away on some important missions… but, I think we can get started on our…” she paused. ”Started on whatever you need to train right now.” Mariya truthfully wasn’t sure she would be able to stop Aki if it came to it, but, her father for some reason had expected her to be the right choice of guardian for the villages jinchuuriki. She scratched at her chin. He had mentioned something about her sharingan being the only tool that could track Akihiko.

[Texas]

The child was not shocked to see Mariya standing before him. In Aki's mind, the shinobi in front of him was someone he respected. However, his innate nature took over when he witnessed the Special Jounin show respect. "Please please, I'm an adult now, no need to greet me with such formalities" the child proclaimed standing as a 4'4" child with obnoxiously colored hair. With an apple in his right, the delinquent winked his left eye and followed it up with a finger gun with his left hand. In Akihiko's mind, this was the smoothest possible response he could have done. In reality, his finger was slightly slanted and he still had a little bit of apple juice from his previous bite on his face.

Akihiko wised up and shook off his ridiculous introduction, by placing the apple on the ground. With a deep inhale, he slightly puffed his chest to look slightly bigger. He then exhaled only a little bit leaving room for him to speak. "It is good to see you though Mariya, as far as what my abilities are, I only really have you to trust." Before explaining further, he spoke out to his mentor. "You see I have been able to work on controlling my power, but I keep falling into an issue. I feel as though I am vulnerable to other senses. Although people can't see me in my first realm, they can definitely hear me. I want to be able to learn some assassin/spy tactics that will help compliment my abilities. I figured you might have been trained in this kind of field and maybe could help show me the ropes..." When the child finished he crossed his arms and exhaled in full. With a bashful look he finished his rant with "I guess I promise this time I will pay attention fully." In his own way that was Aki's assurance that he would try his best to be on his best behavior. With a stern look in his eyes, he made a point to make eye contact with the girl in front of him. "Want to see what I mean?"

After his last words, Akihiko had already been focusing on the chakra with him. In fact, the chakra at this point had already melded with the Genma's chakra, merging into its own form. The united chakra swirling around Akihiko was ready for a jutsu to be released. If Mariya agreed, Akihiko would be ready to release his jutsu in front of her. The technique however, was not seen by other eyes... at least in Aki's control.

439/1000 - Mastery

[Taiga]

Mariya watched the boys antics as he tried to be smooth. To her this kind of behavior was all but foreign, and all the things he did went over her head. There was one thing she did not like though and it was his lack of formality towards her, his senpai. She cleared her throat and shot him a stink eye and briefly noted. ”Adults greet each other properly, with dignity, respect, and elegance.” It was true. Though, perhaps she had been raised a bit too strictly, she could not imagine an adult that was incapable of properly greeting others. Straightening her belt one more time she looked to the boy. Really, what had father expected of her here? What was she supposed to figure out or achieve… Shaking her head she’d wave, trying to move past the topic.

Of all things, Mariya tended to be straight to the point.

”Yes- there are ways prior to the existence of ninjutsu that our kind used for a millennia…” she scratched her chin before turning back the boy. Honestly, her father had been very tight-lipped about the limits of the boys abilities. She knew very little in actuality, but knew it had to do with the ability to disappear or something like that. Her mind wandered to what he said about other senses being able to pick up on him. It crossed her mind that, most likely, it was her sharingan that made her a prime handler for the boy with her ability to track his whereabouts through other ways, however, she hadn’t confirmed any of it yet and was acting purely on educated hunches.

”Show me, Akihiko-kun.” she said as she scanned the area. There wasn’t anyone here that would be able to pick up on what Akihiko’s stealth was, and honestly, most would probably just figure it to be invisibility or some other trick hundreds of other shinobi knew. They’d be safe to exercise their abilities here.

Mariya stood, staring at the boy, waiting.

[Texas]

The words hit Akihiko. Adults great other adults with formalities? The child looked at Mariya with almost a blank stare. Although it could have been true, in this boy's eyes, his way of showing respect was seeking out that person for help/advice/hangout etc. To Akihiko, Mariya was one of the few he really respected. The trust Akihiko has for her is the reason why they are training together now. The young genin wanted to improve himself. With that being said he also wanted to make sure that his true potential was not well known. Since he has been training Akihiko knew that with more training he could enter into a completely different space than what he was used to entering.

For this day though, the pre-teen wanted to focus on tackling the weakness he found in the First Layer of the Limbo Realm. That was the senses of a human. If he could learn assassin like techniques, he could limit some of the weaknesses. Once Mariya gave the go ahead, Akihiko continued to flow the chakra throughout his body. Since he was continuously flowing it, Akihiko was more than ready to show Mariya what he could do. The child smirked as he weaved the necessary hand signs. The combination of his chakra with the Genma's chakra merged perfectly and an invisible to the normal eye crack opened right before Akihiko.

The child continued to flow his chakra as he took a couple steps backwards. With a shit eating grin and a stare down of his "sensei", Akihiko took a couple steps and walked through the crack that allowed him to enter into the 1st Layer of the Limbo Realm. Once he walked through the color of the Present world turned into a black and white drawing. Everything outlined with black and filled in to white. To the normal eye, Akihiko was no longer visible within the present realm. This feeling of being within this realm was now completely normal for the yougn child. Although it took some time to fully adjust that his chakra would allow him to enter and exit the Limbo realm at will. There were a few rules that the child had to follow. By studying and communicating with the Genma residing in him, he has learned of future potential to come.

Akihiko used this moment of training to practice the true limitations of the first layer. He couldn't necessarily test it on people, so this was a good place to start. In fact, the only reason he knows of this specific weakness was because of an incident while he was training.

The child walked around in the Limbo realm seeing the black and white figure of Mariya. Originally in front of her, the boy started to walk around to his right. He attempted to get behind her and surprise her. After several steps, Akihiko would attempt to place his arm on Miraya's shoulder... would he be successful?

932/900 - +1 Mastery (July Bonus)

Jutsu UsedShow

1st Layer • Full Entrance
C-Rank Ninjutsu
By channeling chakra or weaving the proper hand signs, Akihiko focused on creating a crack in the Present Realm a few feet larger than himself. This entrance allows Aki's full body to enter into the 1st Layer of the Limbo Realm. Aki can stay within the Limbo Realm for [Control/2]. To leave the limbo realm the user must move himself through the same place the jutsu was cast, run out of chakra forcing himself out, or using the [1st Layer • Exit] technique.

[Taiga]

Mariya squared her shoulders to her feet as she entered a ready stance, nodding for Akihiko that he could begin whatever technique it was that he intended to show her. She did not know so much about the abilities his genma would grant him, other than it was abilities that made him quite useful at stealth- something about being able to exist simultaneously between realms- whatever that meant. It was indeed an ability Lord Banri would of put to good use within the Black Ops, and likely one that would have made Akihiko a key player along with Mariya. Chakra began to form around Akihiko with an immense pressure, and Mariya considered turning on her Sharingan for a fleeting moment.

Before long, something she was unable to see transpired and suddenly, right before her eyes, Akihiko was gone. She bit her lip. Where had he gone, and what would he be up to? It was clear he had gained mastery over the initial abilities of his genma however, and to that end, Mariya was impressed and pleased. Unable to see, she closed her eyes. She recited a creed of sorts to herself, one that equated to being resourceful and in tune with ones body.

If my eyes do not work, I will use my ears. If my ears do not work, my nose. If my nose does not work, my touch. As she focused deeply, she could hear footsteps that moved behind her. The sound of leaves moving, twigs snapping, and the sort. Spinning round she would attempt to grab at whatever was behind her, though whether she would be successful or not was another story given she had zero accuracy and only hunches that Akihiko was behind her- but no exact knowledge of where in the space he was.

[Texas]

Due to a previous engagement during his training, the young delinquent knew of the issue regarding his 1st layer abilities. Although he was in a different realm, he could be heard. This was a factor that the child knew would be a heavy weakness in future combat situations. If there was a way to walk softer or move softer, he would have to learn it. The art of a true ninja!

As the child made his way, he watched on as Mariya completely lost sight of him. With his movements scuffed and cracking of the ground, she made a movement towards the noise. Unluckily for Akihiko, she made the right movement and because she was quicker than the child could react, she would grab him. Since the young delinquent didn’t want to get hurt, he quickly shouted:

“Okay Okay!!!”

Regardless of if she would let go or not, Akihiko would release the Justu. By releasing his chakra, the child would appear from what would seem like thin air. With a slightly sad look, Akihiko started to speak on what he was talking about. During his conversation the boy had shown a humbled and mature side that he often didn’t show. He even showed respect in the formal sense. In fact, as if shamed his head was slightly lowered as well.

“See Mariya-San. Although I have scratched the surface of this ability, I want to make sure that every step I take I can compensate the weaknesses. Before I move on to learning more I want to master every aspect of this ability. Some day I want to be a great weapon for the village and I can only do that if I can cover my weaknesses. I thought with your help… I could almost go back to the basics of being a ninja and learn techniques to mask my shortcomings, like quieter steps, breath holding techniques, hiding in plain stuff. Almost like what an assassin would have to learn. I am sorry to ask this of you, but frankly I trust you and respect your inspite (Akihito’s attempt to say insight).”

Although he was 12, being turned into a Jinch has made the child reflect on his goals. Hopefully with his training session, he could lay the groundwork to covering his tracks and moving forward; both literally and metaphorically.

389/1000 - +1 Towards undecided stat

[Taiga]

Mariya gently loosened her grip on Akihiko as he pleaded, letting him go. Half-ready to launch a tirade on Akihiko, before she could do so it sank in what she had just witnessed. "Wait a- wait was tha-"? The edge of the kunoichi's lips tensed into an awkward smile. Akihiko had gained mastery over a fraction of the genmas strength. She was further taken a back by his astute explanation and identification of his own weaknesses. He had identified his own shortcomings... and proven that perhaps making a world class ninja of him was not impossible.

As she nodded her head gently and waited for this new, surprising side of Akihiko to finish talking, Mariya kept an intense stare on him.

"We can take you back to the basics of being a shinobi- but I am not exactly the best at it myself." she said as she gently scratched her chin. She thought deeply of what was best. "I can help you train, but I'm not sure I can teach you. I will however find the proper scripts and texts from Black Ops to aid you in the art of subterfuge. We will then train you till even my ocular techniques and senses cannot recognize you."

Had she just committed to helping this twerp more?

"Part of it is going to be you picking the right locale or making the locale to your advantage... the other part is going to be honing your taijutsu skills to their utmost." she paused- "By the way- can you see me in that... wherever it is you go?"

[Texas]

What Mariya might not have been fully aware of is that Akihiko had been spending most days into the nights mastering this Genma Host within him. He didn't like to show it often, but the boy trained extremely hard and has create a plethora of techniques utilizing not just the 1st Layer of the Limbo Realm, but the Second Layer as well. During his training he had realized that the power he possessed shouldn't be broken down all to much in detail. It had a few glaring weaknesses that the pink haired protégé wanted to keep to himself. It also goes without saying that after a shinobi he knew left the village, there was a possibility that anyone could leave. In fact, with the recent invasion it was also possible for ally's to be captured and have information extracted. This extra cautious behavior derived from the way he was kidnapped by a fellow ninja to learn these sneaky techniques that he wanted to improve upon.

Before any other weaknesses could be discovered, the pink haired genin focused on the chakra that had molded throughout his body. Akihiko exited the Limbo realm and gazed upon his mentor. One of the several people watching after him as he learned to not only master his techniques, but be molded to become an absolute powerhouse for the Kumogakure no Sato Empire. As the boy exited the Limbo realm he would begin to speak with nothing but a shit eating grin on his face. Before Akihiko would speak the Genma within him would leave some notes for the young delinquent "Boy, you disappoint me. The more you say, the more they know. Don't waste this opportunity I graciously bestowed upon you. Now as tribute, you should have stayed in the 1st layer and scared her! You should give into your nature more often." Within the confines of his own mind, Aki would simply tell Ryeunso "That was the original plan... but for now I have to learn from her... there will be plenty of opportunities, trust me on that."

The boy gazed upon his mentor and confirmed her suspicions by answering her questions. "Yes Miss Mariya, I can see. I have spent a lot of time with Ryeunso. He has taught me a lot about hi-" Akihiko would stop for only a second, "our power." The child would shake his body a little bit as if he was removing something off of his body. The child would continue, his attempt was to learn as much as he could. His right arm would waive with his words as a sign of expression while he continued. "Well, if we need to get scrolls and go elsewhere, maybe for now we could focus on trying to make my body more tuned for fighting? I know I can be a lot faster. I also need to find tactics to increase how much chakra I can output along with how well I can control it. I notice I get tired pretty quick compared to old people" By old people Aki simply meant anyone older than him. Alas, the child as not a wordsmith and usually in a conversation he has only a few moments of brilliance. Aki's brain had a quick switch since he didn't know what else to say. "Have you ever had Kettle Corn? It is probably my favorite treat ever!"

564/1000 + towards +1 Stat TBD

Jutsu UsedShow

1st Layer • Exit
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By channeling chakra or weaving the a single hand sign with either hand, Akihiko focused on creating a small slit in front of whatever is foreign to the Limbo Realm. This slit is an opening back into entering the Physical Realm and exiting the Limbo Realm.

[Taiga]

Mariya observed Akihiko closely as he exited the Limbo realm, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. She had been aware of his training and the progress he had made with the Genma Host within him, but it was intriguing to see the boy's enthusiasm and determination firsthand. Listening attentively, Mariya nodded as Akihiko confirmed her suspicions about his time spent with Ryeunso and their shared power. It was evident that he sought to make the most of this training opportunity, eager to learn and grow stronger. His mention of wanting to enhance his speed and chakra control resonated with Mariya, as those were vital skills for any shinobi.

Troubling though, was he seemed to be arguing with the Genma. It seemed the two were not yet on great terms. Her father had told her a hosts heart was the most important thing to protect.

"Impressive aspirations, Akihiko," Mariya replied, her tone supportive yet firm. "Developing your combat abilities and improving your speed will undoubtedly make you a force to be reckoned with. But remember, true strength lies not only in physical prowess but also in strategic thinking. Tactics and control are equally important in battle." she said before her hand reached out into the air.

Smoke would fill the area but disappear fairly quickly, revealing a rifle in her hand as she summoned Danzaburou. Wielding the rifle she would drop into a stance.

As she spoke, Mariya stepped forward, her eyes locked with Akihiko's. "You speak of getting tired quickly compared to older individuals," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Well, youth has its advantages too. Your energy and agility can be powerful assets if harnessed correctly. We will work on techniques to sustain your stamina and find a balance between offense and defense."

Mariya's expression softened as Akihiko shifted gears, abruptly mentioning kettle corn. She chuckled, appreciating the lightheartedness amid the seriousness of their training. "Kettle corn, huh? You always seem to want it...." she said as she pointed the rifle to Akihiko.

"How bout we see how fast you can run and how long?" she said as with one strong leap she propelled herself backwards.

"Let's start it off slow, Danza! Make em do no more than give a little tingle" she said as the rifle began to glow. She'd fire a shot aiming for the kid's foot.

USEDShow

12 Speed, 1 strength.
Raiton • Semi-Auto Lightning
B-Rank Ninjutsu
Channeling his chakra, Danzaburou will charge his body with raiton chakra. Upon his choosing, he can release the chakra in 16 separate lightning bolts, one at a time until all shorts are fired or 7 posts have passed. Each lightning bolt is roughly 1m long and has a diameter of 30cm. It is fired at [Control] speed and strength for up to 75 meters.

[Texas]

The pink haired bobble head stared at Miraya as smoke filled her hands. 'What an idiot' he thought, 'What would little smoke do.....' before he could truly finish his thought, a giant rifle appeared in her hands. The boy quickly looked around the training room and realized he had really no good place to hid. Although, if he was patient in his thoughts, he would hear Miraya declare her intentions. Was that rifle... going to shoot at him? No Miraya wouldn't do such a thing... Hayate wouldn't approve of a Jinch to be shot at like this... that would be just cruel.

When the young girl announced "Let's start it off slow, Danza! Make em do no more than give a little tingle", the boy with no grace widened his eyes large than they ever have. He wasn't skilled enough at the moment to release a jutsu in time, in fact, he really didn't have anything to counter this. The only thing the genin could do was run! But how should he move? If the child moved linear, then he for sure would be caught. While battling his mind, the boy came to reality when he witnessed this rifle charge up chakra as if it was it's own being. There was no way? Aki had decided, it would be best if he tried to dodge last minute? But how could he tell when the shot would be fire. The ADD within the child started launching his brain on an unachievable quest of sporadic thoughts. Each thought lead to something different and slowly irrelevant to the situation.

What truly snapped him out of it was the noise that the launch made. The child could hear it and knew to get out of the way! Maybe they were far enough where his slow moveme.... Aki couldn't move? Right in the moment he was about to move, he simply couldn't. Before he knew it the light hit his foot. This caused the child to jump in some pain. It wasn't as painful as he thought, but it still stung. Ryeunso laughed within the confines of his mind. This time Aki didn't hold back and communicate normally with the Genma. "YOU UGLY DERANGED SPIRIT. YOU'RE LUCKY YOU ARE TRAPPED IN ME OR I WOULD FIGHT YOU TO THE DEATH!" Although he was yelling, the boy was jumping on one foot and had a couple tears roll down his cheek.

After a couple seconds of feeling sorry for himself, the Genin Brat gazed upon his mentor. He simply yelled, "OK". The child would begin to run away but in a serpentine pattern backwards. This way he could keep an eye on the rifle as he shifted his body. If he kept running backwards while looking at the rifle, he might have enough time to dodge it. "Ball is in your court MARRY!" The child yelled immaturely. Was he... getting enjoyment out of potentially taunting Mariya?

---

Words: 489
Total Words Towards Stats: 1800
Stats Earned so far: 1 from 900 july event, 1 for reaching 1k. Totaling 2

[Taiga]

Mariya was unfazed by the child's antics and instead stood resolute, her eyes transfixed on Aki as she gripped the rifle and aimed for him. Even at their distance, it only took milimetres of adjustment to keep her sight fixed on him- and given his slow reaction time to the first bolt she had a good idea of the amount of lead she would need to land a hit. Danza wiggled slightly, almost like a reload, as she readied for the next shot. 15 shots left.

As the boy zig zagged backwards she launched a bolt of lightning for his opposite leg. Whether or not it hit was completely up to Aki.

"I'll buy you all the kettle corn your stomach can handle if you can dodge at least half of these bolts." Mariya said as, with again careful precision and leaving only seconds between the last bolt, she tapped the trigger releasing another flash of light aiming for behind where Aki would be if he dodged the first bolt.

"By the way, if you talk less it'll be a lot more difficult for me to know where you are..." she mumbled in a manner of fact way and in a calculating tone as she prepared for her next shot.

[Texas]

Aki was surprised to see a bullet being shot at him again, however when he tried to move, there was more of a surprise. !

He was able to dodge it. Oh wow, wait did Ryeunso really just mess with him the first time? Within his conscious, the boy only heard laughter. It was clear that he was messing with the boy as much as possible. What the hell! As Aki dodged the last bullet that was aimed for his opposite foot. "Ha, what a terr--" Aki couldn't even finish his sentence before he was shot in the back. It wasn't a killer pain, but it hurt enough for Akihiko to say something. "Damn Miraya that hurt!" As fast as he could say something, Miraya made a comment towards the immature genin.

The child tensed up his body and smirked. "Fine, I will take this more serious." For some reason the thought of combat excited the boy, it was almost as if his full jester mentality manifested. The child reached into his ninja pouch and held a smoke bomb behind his back. The boy would wait for the first shot. No matter where or when it took place, the second the shot would happen, Aki would whip a smoke bomb towards Mariya. The child would continuously keep moving and keeping an eye at the gun to make sure that, no matter the movement, he could at least figure out where the next shot would come from.

---

Word Count: 245
Total Word Count: 2045
Stat Counter: 3 (one is from 900 word event)

[Taiga]

Mariya took a deep breath.

"Mariya. It's Mariya not Miraya." she said with a cold, matter of fact tone as she double-taped the trigger blindly into the smoke, trying to guess where he had been. It would of course be unsuccessful in landing a shot on him, but that wasn't necessarily the point. With the smoke out though she was definitely limited unless she chose to activate her sharingan... unless sound was her ally. She closed her eyes and listened.

It seemed Aki was just walking now- something that meant his foot steps were relatively light and it'd be harder to hear him. Hmph. If she couldn't see, perhaps he could be smelled.

"Danzo- can you smell him?"

The rifle wiggled it's butt in a "no". Smoke, right. Wasn't a bad move by Aki if she was being entirely honest. Sighing, she channeled her chakra as a blast of wind pushed out around her- nothing powerful enough to harm anything but fully strong enough to knock away all the wind.

She bit her lip.

Locked on.

Triple tapping the trigger the second she got a lock on she shot left-right-left again aiming for his feet.

UsedShow

nature/fuuton/heavenly push
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After the appropriate hand seals Mariya will expel an orb of wind from her body that expands out at [Control] speed and strength, pushing and cutting up anything in it's path at [Control] strength. The initial wind orb itself holds its form for 15 meters before fading into the area round it.

[Texas]

Aki held in giggling as she sent 2 shots not in his direction. The smoke worked! The boy continued to walk a little bit to keep his movement noise to a minimum if anything. He could see her attempt to move the could with some kind of technique, but what was evidently clear was that she was going to see him eventually. So the child stopped and crouched down. His knees bent, leaning almost on his toes, but most importantly staying still. The boy wanted to use a technique, but he thought that if he did... then the child would be found out completely. He couldn't afford that.

After a couple seconds of prepping, the child watched as the cloud disappeared and he was in the sight of fire. How?! Within milliseconds of his brain, he deduced that the smoke bomb was good for a small temporary situation, but wouldn't have lasted long anyways. With the wind moving the smoke cloud and the gun aimed right at Aki. He couldn't help but have a slight look of shock. That quickly, well almost immediately turned into focus. As a genin, the child wanted to be stronger and prove himself to others in his way. So any opportunity Aki had to fight, he would go a little bit further than he should.

The child watched as a ball of lighting shot out at his foot. The boy would jump to the right, but be met with another shot. The shot would hit his foot causing him to lift it up and bounce on one leg like a pogostick. He had little to no time as the other shot came for him as well. The child utilize his pogostick like technique and jumped higher right before the shot landed. The result was great, but the boy found himself in a free fall against a sniper with a bolt blasting mechanism of some sorts.

---

Word Count: 320
Total Word Count: 2365
Stat Counter: 3 (one is from 900 word event)

[Taiga]

Mariya watched Aki continued to miserably attempt dodges against her shots- pogo-sticking on one leg and leaping around like the fool. Slowly his foolish antics dried up however and a look of determination seemed to come upon his face. Just what exactly was he planning?

"As much as I'd like to take shots at you all day long..." Mariya enunciated her voice, pausing to readjust her position as she darted forward and slid to the ground, readying her arm and aim and holding her shoot true. Aki had launched himself into the air but was now free fall against her blasts.

"If you can't dodge it Aki, then change up your plan. Block and blitz. Do something..." she said as she lined up a shot for his stomach as he was still falling, then tapped the trigger. She was loosening her aim to give him a little more room... but to be honest so far she was not impressed with this "jinchuuriki".

We've got a long way to go.