Battle at Shumisen Path (Flashback / CD / Fight / Open)

Mt. Shumisen stood as a massive wall at the border of Tsuchi no Kuni. Along it's length, there are several mountain passes that allow people to safely travel. Shumisen Path, however, was large enough for an army to cross in formation. Before the other road ways were perfected, this path was the primary means of travel between the great nations of Earth and Fire. As such, it was a coveted strategic position. Whoever held the pass could come and go as they pleased.

Many battles took place there, but none stand out more than the one that earned the title "Battle at Shumisen Path." At the time, the current Tsuchikage was little more than a Jonin back then. Hoping to prove his mettle he took to the battlefield as soon as the war started. Though, this was not exactly a battle, more of an ambush.

The pass was a valley between two giant rock walls stretching as high as 100 meters. The road itself was perfectly carved out, an act preformed by shinobi of Iwagakure. The path itself stretched for 2km through the wide base of the mountain. It was wide as well, capable of supporting two of the shinobi companies during the Forth Great Ninja War comfortably.

On this day, however, there were only 5 shinobi walking down this path. It was a small task force from Konoha sent to investigate. Among them, a powerful sensory shinobi, constantly scanning the area for incoming chakra signatures. For this reason, they believed they were safe. What they didn't realize is that they were being followed. Rivu Aiasan followed the foreigners, waiting for an opening to strike. The leader of this small team, Akashi Uzumaki, a well known shinobi within Hi no Kuni, thought he was prepared for anything.

[OOC: For simplicities sake, let's use our current stats. You may choose 2 combat skills each for the four people with you. After you do that, we'll begin! glhf <3]

((OOC: Got an Akimichi(taijutsu/bukijutsu), Inuzuka(taijutsu/ninjutsu), Hyuga(taijutsu/ninjutsu), Nara(genjtusu/medical) as muh four boyz))

So, this is the massive canyon carved from Iwagakure’s finest Doton jutsu users, quite the sight. It truly was a display of elemental mastery, and a key military asset in establishing supply lines for soldiers. Konohagakure wished to seize this pass and so were Akashi and his men sent. An Akimichi, Inuzuka, Hyuga, Nara and Uzumaki. It was quite the prestigious clan line up, prepared for recon and observation of this valuable area. This coincidentally Akashi’s first mission as a squad leader after being promoted to Jounin. With him were a talented bunch of Chunins that he’d been on many missions before with.

“I still don’t like this. We’re in enemy territory here, lets move squad! Ami I need you in back, keep your Byakugan active and keep focused, your our eyes in this unfamiliar terrain.” She nodded and dropped back in the group, scanning the area meticulously. “Takahiro, in front with you catch scent of anything let me know ASAP. Kenji by my left  and Taiki on my right. I sense a chakra source in the region but they’re fairly far away, definitely keeping their distance. Ami do we have any sort of visual?” The pupils in her eyes faded to an even whiter tone, her face scrunched into complete concentration. Letting out a small gasp, Ami suddenly started breathing suddenly, her knees buckling. “Hey! Don’t push yourself, if you make yourself pass out we’ll all be in danger for sure. Keep it together, I know it's stressful but this mission is incredibly important. It must go well.”

“There is a single shinobi east of out position, he’s hiding in the rocks, creeping towards us. He must be able to sense us from that far away.” Akashi refocused his efforts on kneading chakra ready for battle. “Get ready to fight, this shinobi is going to be tough. This mystery shinobi is obviously a very skilled sensory type as well as powerful. Iwagakure would never leave such an important pass so undefended, unless this is an exceptionally good warrior. Brace yourselves and be prepared to die. You may see you comrades struck down before you, but if you waver the enemy will strike I swear. Protect your families and friends, don’t hold back.” The shinobi around him tensed up, preparing their bodies and minds for vicious combat. While these Chunin were already seasoned soldiers, they were still only teenagers. Akashi had been in battle so many times that nothing he did before changed anything, except a good smoke of Longbottom Leaf. Pulling out a rolled cigarette the Uzumaki lit up and smoked the small thing in one pull.

His senses seemed heightened, calming down and taking in everything around him. Being a natural strategist, Akashi allows took in his surroundings in a great amount of detail.

As Rivu neared the targets, he realized his blunder. Gah, a sensory shinobi, I should have known. He rolled his eyes impatiently behind his eyelids. The young Jounin was being impatient, a quality typical of him. He and his companion, Zen'no, were tasked as a special forces unit to hold control over the pass. The route was a valuable strategic resource and it would not fall to Konoha.

Spending his time beneath the surface of the earth, he and Zen'no were separated. I'm going to confront these strangers, Zen'no, if you're out there, back me up! He thought as he grabbed at the earth in front of him, clawing forward through the earth rapidly towards the five invading shinobi.

Current Stats:

They've already sensed my presence, I might as well just come on out. He thought, chuckling to himself. It didn't take long, with his superior speed, for him to reach the interior of the stone walls of Shumisen Path. No doubt, the men would have noticed his sudden approach and, as he got ever closer to the interior of the pass, he righted his body and casually stepped out of the rock face.

[OOC: Stats returned to normal]

He stretched his arms above his head, keeping a steady stride towards the five offending shinobi. "Well, well, well," he said, bringing his arms down and shrugging. He closed his eyes and tilted his head as a smile widened on his face. "What do we have here?" He laughed slightly as he reached for his bracers at his wrists. The stone-like weapon came to a point beyond his finger tips, an obvious display of aggression. "What can I do for you fine..." He said, opening his eyes and glaring at their headbands, "Konoha shinobi?"

He lowered his body into a combat stance, stopping several meters before the group. Gah, he thought, flashing his eyes widely. Now this is going to be fun!

Used Tecniques:

The target moved in closer, popping out from the earth in a brilliant display in front of them. Surveying the group the man propped himself into a combat ready stance, relaying he is a threat. The enemy then dashed towards them, closing the gap between them to just a few meters. “Squad, Delta formation!” The Hyuga and Akimichi rushed forward while the others dropped back. An enlarged arm and leg suddenly poofed into existence, aiming to sweep the grown leg over the enemies location. While the enemies presumably dodges the attack, Kenji swings his huge arm that’s holding his terrifying weapon; a Kanabo.

The Hyuga stays back to watch over this initial encounter, waiting for a moment to strike if the opportunity arises. Ami’s position in this formation is suppose to attempt in suppressing the enemies chakra while they’re occupied with Kenji. I’m real glad I thought up these formations, perfect for quick encounters like this.

During the fighting in front, Akashi prepared a Raiton jutsu with a series of hand seals. A series of sparks covered his hand, the Raiton chakra ready for molding. Waving his hand in front of his face, he couldn’t help but think, “Form of a wolf!”, as the energy stored in his hand slithered off and expanding. A thick cord of chakra followed from the rear of the beast, still attached to Akashi’s hand. The connection severed, as the cord burst out into a jittery tail. Taiki concentrated his chakra meanwhile, then sent his shadow out towards the Raiton beast. The shadow on this chakra manipulated creature was in a circle around the body. The lightning composition caused the space below it to be shadowless, making it harder to discern the look of its shadow possesed state. By reinforcing the base with the Nara’s chakra the beast could now move at a much faster rate. Cracking forward the lightning beast made its way to the combat in the front.

With the two close combat fighters were engaging the enemy head on, Akashi and Taiki had performed their designated task. The first stage of the assault had begun, Akashi then watched with great focus looking to take in whatever his enemy had to show.

He sensed 6 chakra sources as he dashed into the area which had been dubbed the Shumisen Path.  One of the sources was his friend and partner Rivu but the other 5 were unknown and likely enemies.  As Zen'no weaved between rocks and finally was able to see what was going on he could see a battle had already begun and the 5 other sources were enemy shinobi from Konohagakure.  He jumped down from off of one of the rocks to enter the battle and saw a beast made of lightning erupt out of one of the ninja's hands as well as another's arm growing large.  The large arm was heading towards Rivu but Zen'no was sure he could handle it with no problem so he would take care of the lightning beast.  

The beast quickly moving in zigzag-ing motions ran towards Rivu and Zen'no quickly materialized a blob of chakra quickly manipulating it's shape and changing it into 5 chakra swords which hovered above him.  Using his mind to direct where they would fly he sent 3 of them towards the beast in varying locations so that if the beast managed to dodge one or even two then the third one would pierce it, hopefully causing the seemingly manipulated chakra to disperse or explode or something.  The other two swords flew towards the caster of the lightning jutsu with the red hair and Zen'no only hoped they would make their mark as he landed on the ground and got ready for a counter attack.

Jutsu Used:

Rivu stood there, crouched slightly, trying to anticipate the enemies movements. The most worrisome of these incoming attacks came from Akashi, the one seemingly giving the orders. Raiton techniques, I'll have to watch out for him. He thought as the leg came striking in from his side. He carefully eyed the situation, strategizing about his next move as the equally large arm came in.

No, strategize was the wrong word; fantasize, that was more like it. Rivu fantasized about how he would dispatch these men. It was at that moment that Zen'no's chakra swords, a move Rivu knew well, came flying to pierce the Raiton beast. He's got that taken care of, my turn! He thought as he pivoted his body. Hah! Either their aiming for each other, or they are expecting me to dodge. He said, grinning as he pivoted his body, facing the incoming leg.

He dropped to one knee, preparing to take the blow as he began to kneed chakra around his body. The leg came in and Rivu punched forward in an attempt to slow the incoming limb. The ground trembled as the incredible force met incredible defense. The massive Akimichi leg continued through with the kick, giving the illusion of a successful hit. In reality, Rivu's body skidded along the surface of the ground as if it were sand and sank into the ground completely before the attack was through. As the ground was left undisturbed by this technique, only the Hyuga would be wise to his location.

Pulling his hands to his chest, he weaved hand signs beneath the surface of the earth. Dragon, Tiger, Boar! Earth Style, Hidden Rock Swordfish! Here I come! He thought in blood thirsty euphoria. He clawed at the rock and soil around him, forcing pulses of chakra out of his hands. His speed was incredible as he made his way directly underneath the Hyuga.

Current Stats:

In a flurry of motion, lasting only for the blink of an eye, Rivu burst from the ground. With his right hand extended forward, he grabbed at the Hyuga's neck and lifted him high into the air. Just then, he forced chakra through out his body, lightening himself slightly as he began to slow his ascent. Lifting about 25 meters into the air, he stopped and hovered in the pass with the twitching injured Hyuga in his grasp.

[Stats Returned to normal]

Used Techniques:

As Kenji's attack came into full swing, the target stood within its range and braced himself for impact. At this moment, another source of chakra came in, Akashi focused his energy on the incomer who created a blob of chakra in front of himself immediately. The chakra quickly split into five different bodies that took the form of blades, hover above the ground. What an incredible jutsu, the likes of which I've never seen! Shit, this isn't good, I'll have to be careful with these two. Three of the blades shot towards his Raiton jutsu, still connected to the Nara's shadow mimic jutsu. "Taiki, trap the incoming objects!" The shadow around the Raiton beast slithered off and burst into the air into what looked like a series of webs. Thin powerful lines of black chakra darted over the blades, slowing down their movement to allow his jutsu to follow through. Taiki panted next to him, his chakra levels dropping to dangerous levels after using such a jutsu. Shit, now our medic shinobi's out of chakra, this situation just keeps getting worse. Returning his attention to the fight in front of him he saw no sign of the first enemy, until he saw his chakra signature underground. "Ami!" The Hyuga knew all too well that her enemy was moving towards here at a frightening speed. With a burst of earth the enemy jumped out and shot his hand forward with small propulsions location somewhere on his arm. The extra speed of the attack grabbed the Hyuga by the neck with a sickening clamp.

This was the second stage of attack in this formation, which was suppose to have Ami jump out of the way of the Raiton jutsu by seeing it with her Byakugan and safely avoid it. By the look of her and the condition of their medical shinobi, Akashi had no choice. The Raiton beast connected with the Hyuga's body, aiming to electrifying both in a bright flash of light.

Just then Akashi saw two of the same chakra blades aimed at his Raiton jutsu coming towards him and the medical shinobi at extremely close range. Jumping out of the way he could see it was too late for the two of them. The blade just nicked his shoulder, drawing a light, thin cut where his vest ended. As blood dripped down from the shallow cut, Akashi felt the skin close up around it. Looking at the cut he saw no mark, only the blood that had just been sliced out. The second blade had been more true in its aim, piercing straight into Taiki's torso. The already weakened shinobi crumpled over, breathing his last antagonizing breaths before dying.

Standing up Akashi faced his opponents, having already defeated two of his comrades. These are powerful enemies, I can't do anything but go full out on them. Anything less and I'll be dead in an instant. Accessing his chakra, the Uzumaki felt the chakra valve along side the pool of chakra within him. Reaching for the valve with his mind, he poured in a huge amount of extra chakra, filling up his reserves far past what he imagined. Flashing his hands up into the clone seal he created a duplicate of himself right next to him, reading himself with his sword from the seal on his arm, his clone following suit.

Jutsus Used::

Zen'no's first attack had failed to disrupt the lightning beast but it was no matter for Rivu used one of the leaf ninja to block the attack, causing the Hyuga to be shocked with electricity.  His two other swords were more precise and one of them skimmed a ninja while the other made perfect contact and impaled him through the chest causing him to go to an early grave.  While Zen'no felt a tiny glimmer of remorse as he felt the individual's chakra supply diminish to nothing, he instantly reverted his mind back to the battle at hand.

The ninja with the red hair began to charge a large amount of chakra and created a clone next to him who at the same time as him, grabbed swords from seemingly seals on their wrists.  This ninja appeared to be the strongest and was most likely the leader so Zen'no had a choice now.  He could either kill the weaker ones now and take care of the leader after or he could defeat the leader now and the weaker ones would be like ants.

It doesn't really matter which ones I kill first, they all need to be eradicated for justice.  There is too much hate in this world and these Konoha ninja are continuing it by attacking us.

Zen'no ran closer to the red haired ninja until he was about 15 meters away and within range of his next attack.  Staring at the ninja and his clone and calculating and analyzing the space around him he began to materialize chakra right next to his opponent.  The chakra blob expanded but quickly condensed into a small sphere which hovered a few feet off the ground next to the ninja and his clone.  The sphere pulsed a few times and then detonated causing the condensed chakra to explode in all directions.

Zen'no turned to look at the ninja with the growing limbs and upon first glance caused a blob of chakra to hover above his body.  From watching him fight it didn't seem like he could sense chakra and so Zen'no's attack would have trouble missing.  The blob separated into 5 swords jsut like his previous attack and the swords fell down instantly from their position a foot above the ninja aiming to pierce him multiple times with very little time to dodge.

You can't stop me.  The one with more power is justice.

Jutsu Used:

[OOC: Akashi, the Hyuga was behind all of you, I don't think you could have caught me with my speed. That being said, I like that more, so Ima stick with it. However, I don't know how strong the attack is haha]

As Rivu hauled the soon to be lifeless Hyuga in his grasp, Akashi's lightening beast made contact. By guaranteeing her death, he succeeded in landing a blow. The beast sent shockwaves shivering down Rivu's spine. In pain and suffering from a slight seizure, his grip jolted back and released the corpse of the young Byakugan user. As he floated there, in the air, he twitched slightly, brief sparks and streaks of electricity fluttered around him. His entire body tensed until he fell slightly forward, maintaining his hover.

He began to laugh softly, his head bowed down with his hair covering his face. "Ahahahaha, well done" He began to laugh even harder as he began to right himself. From beneath the collar of his red shirt came four lines, burning like fire. They singed their way up Rivu's neck, coming together at his face at his jaw and hairline. Coming together, they crossed the bridge of his nose as each line began to fade to fade to black.

Current Stats:

"Not very many people have managed to hit the Leviathan of Iwagakure." He said, lifting his head. His blonde hair covered his left eye. His right eye, however, glared with fierce intent at the red haired opponent. Not many people at all... He laughed heartily as he looked at Akashi and the remaining band of teenagers among him. The fear in the air was almost palpable to Rivu.

It was at this moment that Zen'no had decided to let loose another flurry of swords. The Cursed One wanted something different, however. This was a war, and he wanted to prove himself to his comrades. While his cursed state magnified his blood lust, he remained in control, for the most part. If he could not slaughter, he had to at least kill. These young brats don't mean anything to me. That red haired one, however... he thought, his gaze still fixated on Akashi. He might be worth my time.

Chakra burst from his palm as Rivu moved downwards through the air in the direction towards Zen'no's target. Extending his fist forward, he smacked at the chakra swords, throwing them off course. Following through with his swoop, he continued towards his comrade where he set himself down on the ground. "Now, now Zen'no," he said calmly, a sinister smile still stretched across his face. "The young one's aren't ripe yet." With a laugh, he held up his finger and pointed at the Uzumaki.

Current Stats:

"That one, however. Why don't you two go at it one on one?" His body lifted once more. He moved towards Akashi and the remaining youngsters, stopping between them and Zen'no. "And I expect no interruptions." He said, glaring at the Konoha shinobi. Please do... He thought to himself, trying to intimidate them with his look. I'm itching for more bloodshed.

Used Techniques:

[OOC: Suspending this due to Akashi's vacation]