Description: Noboru Miyama has been sent to assassinate a local Japanese philanthropist heading various international charities. Why someone would do such a thing is one question, but what Ibuki will do about it is much more important! Find out inside what happens when ninja clans collide in this thought-provoking episode of A Shinobi's Tale!
The subdued murmurs of hundreds of school kids bounces around the open-air auditorium, combining with the shuffling of seats and thumping of feet on the wooden stands before rolling out across the open ground toward the ocean off to the east. Most eyes are focused on the raised podium at the center of the auditorium, where a slightly pudgy Japanese man with thinning white hair is addressing the crowd.
"And now," drones the elderly principal in a somewhat monotonous tone, "It is my great honor to introduce our guest speaker for this afternoon. She is a successful business woman and graduate of Taiyo high, ms. Phynes."
Some scattered applause meets this statement, the quiet murmurs dying away as the aging principal steps back from the podium and bows toward an approaching woman. Ms. Phynes, Maranda Phynes, is an elegant young woman in her mid to late twenties. Her fiery red hair has been swept up into an elaborate bun at the back of her head, and she wears a prim cream-colored summer skirt suit. She is pale, with brilliant green eyes and very strong eastern European features. obviously a transfer student of some sort to have graduated from Taiyo.
Ms. Phynes clicks her way across the stage with the brisk but cheery air of the excitedly optimistic. A bright smile put dimples in her freckled cheeks, and one slim hand is raised to give the gathering a little finger wave as she takes the last few steps to the Mic.
"I can not express enough how happy I am to be back." ms. Phynes says into the mic with utter sincerity, both pale hands folding demurely atop the stand as she settles in to talk.
Meanwhile, outside of the auditorium itself, a rather large man in a long blue coat steps quietly around the corner of the large building. His shaggy golden-brown hair falls about his ears in a casual mess, and the wicked scar running through his left eye and down across his cheek gives him a somewhat sinister cast. If that weren't enough to set him apart, his features are obviously very strongly American, with a chiseled square jaw covered in blondish stubble, proud roman nose, and the icy blue color of his undamaged eye. He walks with his hands clasped behind his back, eye casually flicking over the black-suited body guard standing at the back entrance to the building.
The black-suited guard is rather large himself, maybe three inches taller than the approaching blond, and 10 pounds heavier. He has a worried scowl on his face and a thick finger pressed to something in his right ear. The approaching man is able to take nearly 4 silent steps toward the man before he notices he isn't alone and starts to turn and face the stranger.
By that time it's far too late.
Noboru's hands come up from behind his back as he takes the last step into striking distance of the bodyguard. With insulting ease he clamps his right hand over the larger man's face, covering his mouth and nose with a big black-gloved palm. In the same instant his left hand strikes out in a hard jab to the big guard's right upper arm, the blow landing with the sound of bone snapping. A twist and tug drags the guard down to his knees by the grip on his face, and his life is ended by another left-handed strike, the assassin's iron-like fingers hitting the back of his neck. The sound of spine snapping echoes clearly off the wall beside them, though nobody should be close enough to hear. The entire maneuver takes only a moment, and at the end the guard's body is dropped limp to the ground beside the gun he had attempted to draw, and the killer has stepped up tot he door he was guarding and crouched down to inspect the lock.
"Hrrrrrrm." Rumbles the bulky ninja in idle though, left hand lifting to take hold of the silk cloth hanging about his neck and pushes the black material up tight over his lower face, while his right flicks a couple of long thin bits of metal from his sleeve with a practiced motion. These bits of metal are slotted into the lock and probed around a bit, then taken delicately in both hands as he manipulates the lock. A moment later there is a soft 'click', and the shinobi slides his picks away.
Noboru has another body to hide, and only a few minutes to prepare before the speaker finishes and expects to meet her bodyguards behind stage. If he can kill her quickly enough, she won't have to know that they're all dead. Some of them might have been her friends.
Of the dozens of students that fill the auditorium, many of them stand out in their own little ways, possessing a distinguishing character that sets them apart from their peers. It might be a subtle manner of carrying themselves that betrays hidden discipline or grace or a refusal to conform to the standard uniforms designated by the school's board. One or two have small groups of admirers or followers that flock around them like baby birds, chatting amongest themselves while the objects of their attraction act as if this were perfectly natural.
Ibuki rests her head in her hands as she watches all of these people go about their business, completely oblivious to her presence in the heavy rafters above. She does little to conceal her presence, both feet swinging idly in the air behind her as she lies on her stomach and does her best to ignore the palpable aura of boredom and fatigue that seems to permeate all school auditoriums, as if they possessed some supernatural power to drive any trace of excitement or fun from their spacious interiors. There is little concern that she might be spotted; no one ever looks up, it's something about human nature to dismiss the space above them as threatening, a trait which ninja have long exploited.
Her people watching session serves as more than just a way to pass the time, however; she's on a mission! Normally, one of the senior ninja would have been assigned to deal with something like a death threat but they were all indisposed so it fell to Ibuki as the most advanced student in the village to pick up the slack. Fortunately, school has been slow lately so she managed to finish all of her homework before leaving which means there is no rush to get back. That suits her just fine, a chance to see some of the other schools and maybe meet some interesting people is always okay in her book!
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like she's going to get that luxury today. The sound of snapping bones carries on the wind, reverberating into the air ducts and up through the accoustic dome built into the top of the auditorium. By the time the noise bounces off the curved surface of the auditorium's roof and drifts into the rafters it sounds like someone is jumping into a pile of dried leaves. The ninja's eyes widen in surprise and she leaps to her feet with silent flip, turning to leap across the array of metal scaffolding that leads into area behind the main stage, hopping effortlessly from girder to girder at breakneck speed.
"Oh man... I hope that wasn't what it sounded like!"
The back door swings quietly closed behind Noboru, the big shinobi taking a moment to reach back with his left hand and re-engage the lock. His right hand is currently occupied with steadying the beefy security guard's body where it rests across his broad shoulders. Despite the fact the corpse must weigh close to 250 pounds, the big ninja doesn't even seem to notice the dead weight. He's made it inside. He's done it quietly. Everything is as it should be.
It is standard procedure for a Miyama shinobi to memorize the layout of his or her target area. They know the layout intimately before the first blow is struck. Oft times the enigmatic clan operatives even know their area better than those who live there. So, it is a simple matter for Noboru to pick a spot on the obsessively studied mental map in his head. There is a dumpster...
The shinobi glances idly to his left and spots the large plastic container sitting in its dusty corner. Strolling casually over to it he pushes the lid open. Holding the lid propped on his palm, he grabs the back of the security guard's belt with his free hand. Dead limbs and head flop about limply as he lifts the corpse one-handed from across his shoulders and tosses it through the gap. That done, he is forced to spend a almost comically long moment quietly pushing the feet and hands in after the torso, reaching through to arrange the limbs neatly so the garbage lid will close. it isn't the sort of mild tidiness you expect from someone disposing of a body, if you even have expectations about those sorts of things.
With his cargo dumped and prepped, Noboru lowers the lid of the plastic dumpster and grips the bottom edge of the lip in one big hand. In another casual display of strength he squeezes, warping the plastic lid into the base of the dumpster so that it can't be opened by anyone who happens by in the next 30 minutes. Mission accomplished. He has just started to turn when There is the faintest flicker of...Something. Insight? Whatever it is, he suddenly realizes that he isn't alone.
Locking himself down mentally, the bulky shinobi continues his turn without a hitch and starts to prowl almost silently down the hall. For such a big man he's very quiet, even by ninja standards. Obviously this is no novice killer. As he walks his ears strain and he draws in slow breaths through his concealed nose. Was it a sound that tipped him off? A smell? It was something. Something animal. That sixth sense that's triggered when he's being stalked. Picked up subliminally through the rest of his senses.
Noboru won't be the first to tip his hand. They probably don't know he knows they're there. If they try to attack him, he'll deal with them. Is it just one? Two? Whoever it is they're good, but he knows they're there. He KNOWS.
Ibuki says, "Indeed."
Ibuki frowns, the soft fabric of her identity-protecting mask wrinkling ever so slightly with the contortion of her facial muscles. She watches the man below her in the hallway with a mixture of anxiety and uncertainty, having just watched him casually dispose of a body with as much emotional investment as her friend Sarai discarding her empty can of soda in the mornings.
The rafters provide her with the perfect hiding place and transit system, the auditorium lacking any sort of roofing to separate the individual rooms within its domed interior, and she follows along behind the mysterious attacker from above, making less noise than a mouse skittering across a thick carpet.
*Oh man, what do I do? I know they said someone had picked up some crazy hitman contract but I never thought anyone would actually go through with it!" The girl continues to stalk her target for several long seconds, unsure of her next action, but eventually she hardens her nerves and clenches a fist, trying to pump herself up a little.
*Alright, you can do this, Ibuki. Let's show this clown what happens to murderers!*
There is a soft whoosh, little more than a rustle in the still air that might go unnoticed against the droning voice being piped through the auditorium's speaker systems. Ibuki drops from the ceiling, using the edge of one of the girders to swing herself forward with great momentum and she launches at Noboru's back with the graceful movements bore of years of constant practice. She comes down at an angle, driving the heel of first one foot and then another towards his head.
COMBATSYS: Ibuki has started a fight here.
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Ibuki 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Noboru has joined the fight here.
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Ibuki 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Noboru
COMBATSYS: Noboru blocks Ibuki's Hien.
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Ibuki 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Noboru
Even the smallest sound is likely enough when dealing with a fellow ninja. The big man's pace does not change when Ibuki drops down out of the rafters and swings herself into the air. But once she is airborne and flying toward the back of his head, his left hand lifts, as if he were about to scratch his nose. She hasn't seen him touch his mask since he entered the building, but, eh. Maybe he has an itchy cheek?
Nope.
Noboru's midnight blue coat flairs out behind him as he whirls on the spot, left arm sweeping up and around to accept first one, then the other kick with the satisfying thunks of feet on muscle. Both of the big shinobi's feet are braced, mismatched eyes staring up past his guard as he accepts all of the trim girls' weight and momentum without seeming to notice. It might be a complement, in a weird sort of way. She's certainly in good shape.
"Hrrrrm." Noboru rumbles in a deep, thoughtful bass. His eyes have time to blink once before he snaps his left arm around. His aim is to catch Ibuki by the left ankle before she has time to fully rebound off of his guard. If he can catch her, he will snap his arm out straight to the side, whipping the small girl through the air, and send her flying toward the wall of the wide hallway they are now fighting in. All the while his right hand hangs loose at his side, apparently forgotten.
COMBATSYS: Ibuki blocks Noboru's Medium Throw.
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Ibuki 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Noboru
Ibuki's aim is uncannily precise, each of her kicks landing in the uncomfortable zone above the chest but below the top of her target's head that require him to raise his guard high and thus expose his lower body. It is a movement that many fighters have trained to suppress, ironically making them more vulnerable to someone who knows how to exploit the basic instincts of human reflex.
Unfortunately, her opponent is another ninja, and he displays a quick mastery of his art by effortlessly deflecting her strikes and moving to counter almost as fast as she herself had launched her surprise attack. The thick hand latches onto her ankle and she instinctively tucks into the throw, rolling into a tight ball in midair, only to land flush against the surface in a three-point crouch. Her impact is a little more forceful than can be considered pleasant but a great deal more so than being flung head-first into the hardened plaster.
The ninja girl hangs at a nintey-degree angle for a few moments, blatantly defying gravity's hold over her as she levels her gaze on the scarred face of the rugged assassin. She stares into his one good eye for a brief instant but that's all she needs to know that this isn't some sort of test or joke; this guy means business.
Ibuki plants her feet on the wall and flips high into the air, once more making use of the massive open space above them. At the apex of her leap, she flips upside-down and whips her arm out, sending a single throwing dagger streaking through the air towards Noboru.
COMBATSYS: Noboru dodges Ibuki's Kunai.
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Ibuki 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Noboru
'Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.'
Noboru stares calmly back into Ibuki's dark eyes with his own blue and white. There is a certain mild curiosity there, a bland sort of wondering at her. But aside from that there is only calm focus. He is not excited to be fighting. He doesn't look satisfied, or happy to be about his work. It is clearly just something that needs doing to the golden-brown haired ninja. That's a normal outlook for the Miyama, however. Surely they wouldn't have sent her against an enemy without telling her what to expect? Cleverness, adaptability. The Miyama are an old clan. Very old.
The much larger shinobi's icy eye tracks the young Kunoichi's progress as she flips herself back into the air above him. He has dropped his left arm back to his side, but now both hands slide out of sight beneath his coat and he waits expectantly.
Sure enough, a single blade is sent humming through the air toward him, but the scarred ninja is ready. Ibuki's Kunai whips through the spot he had been standing in and imbeds itself deep in the wall, set at a downward angle and quivering in the plaster at knee height. Noboru, having just sidestepped a knife to the chest or shoulder, flickers his gloved hands in and out of his coat in a quick LeftRightLeft series of backhanded throws. Having been tracking the Kunoichi's progress through the air, he sends the first knife wwizzing up at her left hip, the second at her right shoulder, and the third back down in a spinning arc toward her exposed thighs.
COMBATSYS: Ibuki fails to slow Triple Shuriken from Noboru with Kunai.
-* CRITICAL FAIL! *-
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Ibuki 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Noboru
Well... crap.
Ibuki mentally curses when her kunai fails to find purchase in the target, taking note of the large man's surprising speed but her annoyance is quickly replaced by a surge of momentary panic when she sees the trio of projectiles coming back her way.
Still plummeting towards the ground in an extremely obvious and predictable arc, the ninja instinctively reaches for another of her own blades, fumbling around inside the folds of her tunic. If she can angle it just right, she might be able to knock all three of the knives out of the air in a single toss! That's something one of the masters could do with ease and she's been practicing real hard lately so she might as well... huh?
When her fingers finally close down on the object she is seeking, Ibuki gets a strange look on her face. Something doesn't feel right, it feels... slimey? Whipping the item from her pocket, she holds up what should be a kunai but is, instead, a dead frog; a half-eaten frog to be precise.
"Dooooon! You little...!"
Oh right, there's knives and stuff. Unfortunately, frogs don't make good projectiles, or good shields. Ibuki chucks the sticky mess at the first knife but it slices through it with ease, cutting a searing red line across the exposed skin of her thigh. The second buries itself squarely in her shoulder but she channels a burst of chi at the last moment, blunting the impact so as to protect the limb from permanent damage. The third catches her much as the first, slicing across her leg as she hits the ground, right where Noboru predicted.
Ibuki hits the ground hard, stumbling from the pain of her wounds and the barely controlled free-fall she's been tossed into. She flops into a forward roll and comes to a stop on her butt, wincing audibly.
"Ow ow ow! Aww, jeez, that freaking hurts!"
"You should avoid throwing knives if you are not comfortable with being stabbed." Noboru rumbles in his deep, mellow bass. His Japanese has a slightly archaic, almost woodsy quality, which is shared among all Miyama.
The big Ninja steps closer to the injured Kunoichi, staring down at her with that same mild sort of interest. he doesn't seem overly concerned that she just tried to stab him. Rather than keeping his distance like any sane human being, he chooses to wander up to within six feet of the girl before stopping and clasping his gloved hands casually behind his back.
"I think, it is probably best if you tell me who you are with, and why you are attempting to compromise this mission. Your answer will have a very definite impact on how we proceed from this point." Calm as a mountain pond, the hulking shinobi spreads the toes of his split boots and grips the floor. His long silk coat has drifted nearly closed, and his shaggy hair hangs in it's usual mess about his ears. he hasn't manage to break a sweat yet, though due to skill or luck is hard to say at this point. he certainly isn't a slouch, but neither is Ibuki.
COMBATSYS: Noboru takes no action.
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Ibuki 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Noboru
Gritting her teeth, Ibuki focuses her center and tries to collect her calm before wrenching the knife that is halfway buried in her shoulder out by the handle. She lets out a muted cry of pain as the blade escapes her flesh thankful that it wasn't barbed - nor poisoned, she determines after a quick check.
Swiveling her head around to glare at Noboru, the girl quickly hops to her feet when he approaches, launching into a reverse hand-flip despite her injury that puts several extra feet of distance between them. She drops into a fluid combat stance and her brows furrow up almost immediately in a scowl, though weather it is from the pain of her wound or her anger with the man infront of her it difficult to tell.
"Ugh! How can you say that so casually when you came here to kill someone? It's people like you that give us ninja a bad name!"
Her chiding tone is somewhat grating but anyone who has spent a long time speaking Japanese will be no stranger to the myriad of regional accents. Hidden behind her mask, it is difficult to make out her features, but her displeasure is clear enough. Still, she doesn't immediately leap to the attack once again, silently hoping his strange desire to talk with her means he can be reasoned with. Ofcourse, she's also subtley altering the flow of her chi with controlled breathing techniques and her fingers slowly dance across the ley lines in her arm even as she pantomimes clutching it as if it were too injured to be useful.
COMBATSYS: Ibuki gains composure.
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Ibuki 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Noboru
"We have traditionally been assassins, counter assassins, spies, and saboteurs. It is what we are. All that changes is who it is done for." the scarred shinobi rumbles back mildly. "If I came to kill someone, and I was killed in the process, is the one who killed me a murderer? Does that make him or her less a savior? Does killing for a lord damn a man less than killing for hire? ... No, I think it is people like myself that gave us our name in the first place. What ideals you make for yourself are your own, fanciful or not. Hrrrrm." The words eventually trail off into a deep, rumbling sigh, his good eye seeming to turn inward in thought without leaving Ibuki's face.
Nothing about Noboru's stance suggests he might be in the middle of a fight. His feet remain planted, toes flexing against the cement floor, but otherwise he is perfectly relaxed. There is no tension in his muscular shoulders, and both hands remain clasped loosely at the small of his back. You wouldn't think he just threw a brace of knives at the young Kunoichi before him.
What is even less obvious is the Ninja's careful study of his clever little opponent's chi manipulation. Through his scarred eye the world glows shades of every color. The world's chi pulses like a giant, slow heartbeat, and every weave stands out clear and sharp. It is no trouble at all to watch Ibuki's aura shift to harness her power, and to make note of the way she molds it. But, only those who know him by name know of his ability to see chi and psy.
COMBATSYS: Noboru focuses on his next action.
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Ibuki 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Noboru
Ibuki stands up a little straighter and frowns at the attempt to reason past her accussations, her displeasure reflected in her eyes and tone. "Only cowards hide behind something like tradition as an excuse for their actions. Fighting in defense of another isn't the same as killing people for money! Master Sanjou was right about you Miyama creeps, you're just a bunch of second-rate thugs posing as ninja."
Any thought of talking this man down flees her mind quickly; even if she could convince him he's wrong, he already killed one innocent person and she's not going to let him walk away from that without a lesson. Maybe if she can bait him into losing his cool, she might gain an edge on him.
The intense pain in her arm grows less intense as the chi in her body is redirected towards the injury. The flow of blood slows to a trickle as she manipulates her pressure points giving her use over the limb fully once again though she'll have to rest for a few days after this to make sure it heals properly.
Unaware of Noboru's special talents, Ibuki quickly begins to redirect her energy throughout her body once again, preparing to make her next move. She gives him a few moments to react to her words but before he can make any more excuses the girl launches into action. Ibuki's body blurs into a streak of color as she explodes into motion and the distance beween herself and her opponent vanishes in that instant. Immediately, she spins on her heel and launches a pair of blindingly fast spinning kicks at his wide torso that leave streaks of blue spiritual energy in their wake.
COMBATSYS: Noboru interrupts Tsumuji from Ibuki with Spinal Tap.
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Ibuki 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Noboru
For the briefest of moments before Ibuki's charge something flashes across Noboru's good eye. The emotion is not echoed on the visible portion of his face, nor betrayed by any twitch of body language, but it does exist as a tiny spark in the calm blue of his eye. It might be shame, or regret, or possibly disappointment in himself or Ibuki. Something sad and quiet that he does not seem inclined to explain.
The moment passes, and the young girl's form blurs with the speed of her charge. She is fast. Much faster than Noboru could ever hope to be. But, unfortunately for her, so are most of his fellow Miyama.
The hulking shinobi unclasps his hands from behind his back and steps forward into the first chi-infused kick. Ibuki's heel thuds solidly into the tensed surface of his left pectoral, the heavy 'thnk' of bone impacting meet easily audible through their clothing. The chi from her kick flares out violently from the point of impact, But, despite all that, Noboru powers forward another step. He refuses to give her enough room to spin into the second kick.
Now in close, Noboru's gloved right hand comes up and around like a darting snake, leather-clad palm completely engulfing the young Kunoichi's masked face. Thick fingers tighten like iron bands into the sides of her head as he brings her to an abrupt halt, back almost touching his chest.
"Do not be so quick to judge things which you know little about. When next you have the opportunity, ask your masters why the Miyama wear veils." Noboru rumbles quietly to the girl, sounding very patient for a man she is trying to beat the hell out of.
The scarred ninja's patience apparently doesn't extend into non-violence, however, because once he has finished speaking he drags her forward by the face, creating distance between their two bodies. Moving quickly and viciously, his left fist whips forward to hammer two quick blows into her spine, one just below the nape of her neck, and the other just above her tailbone. That being done he reverses direction and pivots, pushing hard on her face to try and send her tumbling backward down the length of the hall.
"Urk!"
A muffled gasp of surprise escapes Ibuki's throat as the powerful fingers close around her face locking her in place as effectively as a metal vice. She stares straight ahead with wide-eyed panic through the gaps in his fingers as he speaks into her ear but with her mouth covered she isn't able to shoot a witty retort back at him.
Two loud cracks accompany the impacts on her spine and the ninja girl goes stiff as a board from the shock that sweeps through her nervous system. She puts up no resistance when he chucks her like a doll and this time she takes the fall hard, landing square on her back and rolling a few times before she manages to right herself.
Immediately, Ibuki groans and places a hand against her back, slowly rising to a standing position. She hunches over and with a grunt, snaps herself upright, earning another crack for her efforts. "Ugh that... hey, that's not that bad actually..." She twists back and forth a few times, doing a few sideways stretches, and then nods. "I've been trying to get that crick out of my back for a week! Gotta stop falling asleep at my desk. Thanks, man!"
Seemingly somehow refreshed by the violent beating, Ibuki drops back into her combat stance and smiles underneath her mask. "Now then, where were we...? Oh yeah, um... you probably wear that veil because even your momma didn't wanna see your face!"
The balance of banter restored, Ibuki moves to continue the attack again. Even if she can't beat this guy, she might be able to delay him long enough for the target to get away. Unfortunately, these damn guest speakers talk forever. She comes in low this time, feinting with a kick but she hops up at the last moment, reaching out to grab at Noboru's jacket.
COMBATSYS: Noboru blocks Ibuki's Uki Yami.
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Ibuki 1/---====/=======|=======\====---\1 Noboru
Latching onto the larger man, Ibuki swings around his shoulders like a monkey, using the cloth for an anchor. She releases at the end of the manuever, leaving her hoving in midair for a moment and she turns to drive her heel at his neck, hoping to return the favor.
Noboru has already started to pace slowly after Ibuki's tumbling form when she pops back to her feet, complementing him on his chiropractic skills and insulting his face almost in the same breath. Neither thing stops his slow advance, but there is still quite a distance between them when the young ninja starts her mad dash.
Seeing her coming in low, he turns his forward step into a stomp, preparing to take a hit to the knee, the logical place to aim for if you want to take down someone Noboru's size. But, it's just a faint. Both hands lift as if to try and catch Ibuki when she turns her kick into a leap, but quicker than he can react she is up and over, flipping through the air behind him in another of those acrobatic displays.
""HRUH!" grunts the shinobi in a belly deep, rather guttural version of the standard kiai. The sound of his voice echoes just once off of the walls, drowned out by the sound of polite laughter from the crowd. The guest speaker must have just told a joke.
Battle cry still hanging in the air, Noboru whirls around in another display of sudden speed, coat and hair whipping out behind him for a second time as his left forearm lifts and bats the approaching foot away. His spin does not stop there, however. As he completes another quarter turn, his right fist comes up and he throws his shoulder forward toward Ibuki. Nearly all of his strength and momentum is piled behind the blazing right straight aimed toward the Kunoichi's air born stomach, entire body focused in the attempt at landing the devastating opening strike...
COMBATSYS: Noboru successfully hits Ibuki with Principal Diagnosis.
Grazing Hit
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Ibuki 1/=======/=======|=------\-------\0 Noboru
Noboru's right fist hammers into Ibuki's lower stomach, the heavy strike aimed carefully to send her flying backward toward the nearest wall. But that isn't the end of it. The bulky ninja turns his lunging punch into a charge, sprinting two steps after the flying girl before planting his foot and twisting his left shoulder forward, knuckles jutting out as his half-fist closes the distance to the young Kunoichi. Air is violently displaced by the speed of the blow with a 'WOOOSH!', and the young girl's back is about to impact the wall behind her. Clearly the scarred shinobi is attempting to hammer her right on through into the room beyond, noise be damned.
Ibuki is quickly losing time and space to maneuver. She'll have to think fast to ninja a way out of this!
Ibuki grunts as the fist slams into her gut sending her sailing through the air. Fortunately, the blow missed her ribs or she'd probably have broken a few; small blessings. Despite the powerful blow, her focus remains clear as she flies towards the wall, eyes narrowing on the approaching threat of the large assassin's follow-up attack closing in on her.
Right before she hits the wall, Ibuki thrusts her hands behind her, cushioning the impact by rolling her back against it. Immediately, she hits the floor, allowing Noboru's hand to slam into the hallway rather than her chest. She acts quick, moving to capitalize on this short moment of exposure.
Her hand shoots out to grab hold of his wrist as she rises and she displays a surprising amount of strength as she attempts to pull him off-balance, yanking the arm forward to twist his center of mass onto one foot. Her other hand comes up quickly and she rests her slender fist against his ribcage, knuckles digging into the grooves between the bones. Then the real attack comes.
A collosal explosion of blue energy erupts from the kunoichi's hand, a perfect sphere of searing raw chi that expands out to completely engulf the space where Noboru stands.
COMBATSYS: Ibuki successfully hits Noboru with Yoroi Doushi.
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Ibuki 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Noboru
The explosion lasts but a second or two, powerful energy churning within the marble of its deadly reach before it recedes down into her hand from when it came. But Ibuki does not stop there. Giving her foe no time to recover, she spins in place and slams the elbow of her arm into Noboru's chest in the exact same spot.
This time it is from her other hand that a surge of incredible chi emanates as Ibuki holds her palm open, drawing the latent power of the world into her grasp. Several tendrils of shimmering light twist and weave into a small orb and and after a moment she slams the flat of her palm against her other fist, sending the power shooting down her arm and into the elbow that is currently pressed against him.
There is a momentary pause, the brief barest hint of a moment where the world is completely still - and then the power explodes into Noboru. A thin beam of chi bursts completely through his body, shooting out from Ibuki's elbow and out the back of his coat to teari a hole in the wall beyond. A second even more massive explosion follows a breath later, blue burning spirit expanding out to engulf both of the ninja warriors in a blinding flare.
The hulking Ninja's fist blows past the top of Ibuki's head and smashes right through the wall, dust and plaster puffing out as his arm vanishes up to the elbow. His right hand lifts, palm smacking another section of wall hard enough that cracks spider web out in all directions, but the noisy bit of brutality does keep him from smacking face-first into the wall.
All throughout the auditorium there is utter silence. The crash of smashed wall was enough to overpower the guest speaker, and everyone is listening, straining to hear if the noise repeats itself.
Back stage, Noboru is hunched forward over Ibuki, just starting to glance down at her as one small hand grabs his elbow, and the other is pressed against his side. he sees the flows of chi rushing into her trim form, causing her to burn bright to his extra sight. His own chi flares up in response, a tiny, pathetic flow that he has learned to master. The laughable spark of energy is expertly molded into a thin shield that presses itself out through his skin, little webs of power criss-crossing through the inside to strengthen his organs and bones.
Then, the first explosion comes.
No sound escapes Noboru as his silk coat flares out in the raging torrent of energy, it quickly growing to hide his hunched form from sight. She can feel muscles tensing, flexing, and pushing through the energy as it swirls around him, and when it finally fades it reveals his arm half torn free from the wall, and his coat and hair smoking. But, his mismatched gaze is still focused on the girl, still implacable.
When the Kunoichi's elbow plants itself into his ribs he gives another jerk, the section of wall exploding outward as his fist is torn free. He is in the process of reaching down for Ibuki when she fires the ray of energy through him, it burning a neat hole through his coat, shirt, and into his skin. The chi then impacts his own feeble barrier and the barrier flexes, then ripples, directing the ray along web-like patterns across his skin. This causes the energy to burn black lines all across his body, before meeting on the other side and tearing an exit hole through his coat. The burn lines on his skin immediately start to seep liquids that cause damp patches to appear on his clothes, but it's better than having a hole bored through your lungs.
"Hrrrrr." Grumbles the now thoroughly annoyed shinobi as he stares down at Ibuki. His left hand, having paused half way toward grabbing her, attempts to drop down and grab her by the top of the head, then unceremoniously ram her face-first through a currently undamaged portion of wall before them. His right hand remains braced on the wall amidst the sea of cracks it created, keeping him upright while his nerves tingle and buzz with chi overload. Heavy, slow breaths force his chest to expand, burnt skin cracking and splitting under his clothes. That, hurt quite a bit.
Another unfortunate side effect of all this noise and flashing of light, is that the auditorium proper has burst into life. Students are being evacuated, and the guest speaker is being rushed away by the faculty, no one being able to find her bodyguards.
COMBATSYS: Ibuki blocks Noboru's Power Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Ibuki 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Noboru
When the chi flare fades away, Ibuki is still standing before the hulking ninja, apparently completely unaffected by her own monsterous release of power. She slowly withdraws her elbow and moves to shuffle out of reach before he can regain his composure but the sheer resilience of her opponent almost makes that impossible.
Having grown to expect him to attempt to leverage his size and strength, she twists to the side at the last moment and diverts most of the energy of the thrust into the wall slipping free and into the open space of the hallway where she has more room to manuever.
"Hear that, big guy? Whoever you came kill is probably running for their life right about now, so you might as well just leave. There's no way you'll be able to walk around in public like that. Infact, I bet security are on their way right now."
Even though this likely means she's claimed victory in this battle despite the thrashing she received, Ibuki doesn't sound smug or happy, she just wants this fight to be over already. The dull ache in her arm reminds her that she needs to see the village doctor quickly to make sure the muscles don't tear or she'll be out of commission for weeks. First, she has to make sure this guy doesn't cause any more trouble, however.
Taking a combat stance, Ibuki makes it very clear she isn't planning to let him get past her and move further into the building if he should think about making a mad dash for whoever his target might be. She might be wounded by she's not out of the game yet.
COMBATSYS: Ibuki focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Ibuki 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Noboru
Noboru shoves upright away from the wall as Ibuki slips free of his slam. Tendons crackle and joints pop when his heavy shoulders flex, smoking coat settling back around him with it's two new decorative holes. Slowly his calm blue-eyed gaze flicks over the young girl's stance, shaggy head nodding a bit at some private thought or another.
"How many Saints were canonized before death?" Asks the big ninja quietly, deep voice now slightly horse. For a moment his blue eye focuses exclusively on the Kunoichi's masked face, then he takes a single step back. It looks as if he could keep fighting. He could probably even beat her, despite her chi blast, which is a somewhat intimidating fact in itself. But instead he motions politely with his gloved hands and bows shallowly to the girl, respectful, but only mildly so.
"Be well, young warrior. You will likely be great one day." And with that, the scarred ninja backs another couple of steps away, then turns his back on Ibuki completely and starts to stalk off down the hallway at a rather unhurried pace.
The sound of evacuating students can still be heard, as well as doors throughout the back stage being flung open as martially trained students and teachers search for the source of the disturbance. How Noboru plans to evade the search is anyone's guess, but it's likely he can. He is not an amateur by any stretch of the imagination.
That oddly patient attitude Noboru has shown up to now, his acceptance of insults and quiet refusal to be baited. These are all typical behavior for the Miyama. No one has yet found why they take the jobs they do, or why they kill so casually but seem reluctant to press fights. Some think they're just insane. Maybe they are.
COMBATSYS: Noboru takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Ibuki 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Noboru
Ibuki has no further commentary to offer in rebuttal. Her body hurts and she's too wound up to relax properly, practically on the edge of her toes in preparation for his next move. His gaze meets hers and finds that, despite her outwards energy, there is a calmness to match his own within her gentle brown eyes. Perhaps it is a result of their ninja training that each are able to embrace the inevitable possibility of their own demise or maybe it stems from the knowledge that even in defeat can victory be achieved. She's saved whoever was marked for death today; she can rest easy knowing that she atleast accomplished that.
Noboru's movement is met with a tensing of her muscles and she crouches a little in anticipation of his attack but instead she is met with a bow and a retreat. The young ninja stares at first, a little surprised that he accepted her advice, but she doesn't relax her guard until his broad form vanishes into the depths of the auditorium.
A loud exhale escapes her lips and she crumples to the floor, falling to her knees with a mixture of relief and exhaustion.
"Whew... that was intense. No way is Yuta going to believe this." A sudden commotion down the hall snaps her head up and she leaps straight into the air on reflex, swinging up atop one of the ceiling girders only moments before a squad of students in martial gis round the corner, each wielding a wooden training sword.
She presses her back against the metal surface, sticking to the shadows as they fan out, but it doesn't take long for them to find the evidence of her desperate battle with the ninja assassin. A cry of alarm goes out among them and the entire lot quickly moves to investigate the damage. Seeing her chance, Ibuki darts from her hiding place and scurries back the way she came, leaping across the rafters until she finds the small maintenance hatch that leads to the roof. Without a sound, she inches it upwards and peers through the opening, finally escaping to the open world when she's sure the coast is clear.
"Mission accomplished!"
COMBATSYS: Noboru has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Ibuki 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Ibuki has ended the fight here.
Log created on 01:20:32 08/14/2014 by Noboru, and last modified on 03:11:04 08/24/2014.