Stage 1: Research! (Invite Only)

[vincent79]

{Enter}
Izanagi hurtled through the streets, stopping hard in front of the closest motel. He laughed as he doubled over, catching his breath. After a minute or so, Izanagi stood up and grinned. When Tori turned up, he’d clap him on the shoulder.

“That was fun!” Izanagi said, “But I win. But I’ll go easy on you; we’ll split the room.” Still breathing heavily, Izanagi entered the hotel, and asked for a room, with separate beds and a kitchen; it took a full minute to convince the receptionist that he and Tori were not romantically inclined. It was harder than you would think.

Izanagi advanced through the building, up to Room 1428. He unlocked and opened it, entering a rather plain room. But hey; it could be home for a long while yet. He laid his Naginata on one of the beds, stretched his muscles and entered the kitchen, delving into the fridge to see if anyone had left food. As it turns out, the fridge was fully stocked with food and drink; canned soda drinks mostly. Izanagi grabbed two, and then he turned to see if Tori was there.

“Hey man, you want one?” he asked, holding up the cans. “And then we need to focus on where we’re going to look for these summoning legends. There are a couple of libraries that might be good places to start, and they’re both within walking distance.

[cypherpunk]

Torikkusuta toppled forward as the race came to an end, bend forward, and rested his hands on the knees. Breath came heavy as his lungs began to burn from the exertion, but after several seconds passed, Torikkusuta’s breath came a bit easier and he stood straight again. Sweat ran down his tanned skin, and a bit dripped into the eye, which he quickly shut and rubbed.

The Sakurai nodded in thanks when mentioning that the price of the room will be split; that should do well to his narrow ryo pouch. The discussion between his companion and receptionist brought a thin smile to Torikkusuta’s lips, quite amusing, and when walking past the receptionist, an uncommon sensation ran through his senses, to make a minor jest.

”There was no need for a two bedded room.” the genin said to the receptionist. It was the quite amusing thing to say, or so he thought.

While the room was bare, Torikkusuta seemed not to be bothered, regardless of his noble blood, at heart, the Sakurai of the Inner Compound was a warrior, a man who will deal with even the most wretched of conditions if it will lead to the completion of the task. Unstrapping the Itosen Dagekimi, he threw it on the other, free bed, rather than lying it down.

”Yes.” he said at the offer to a drink, before continuing to speak.”The larger and more renown of the two first, preferably, as those tend to have a better selection of books.”

Walking towards Izanagi, the Sakurai grabbed the other can and opened it, gulping down the liquid..

”It is best if we do not leave anything of value here, I am somewhat mistrusting of what vandals and thugs may lurk in here. Many criminals in this city?”

[vincent79]

“Hmm,” Izanagi said to his partner’s comment, “That would be the Grand Library. Might find something useful there,” he added as Tori snatched the drink from Izanagi’s hand. He cracked the one he still had, taking a deep gulp from it.

“That’s a good policy,” Izanagi said, “I don’t need another thief trying to steal my stuff.” “But as for criminals,” Izanagi mused, “There’s the usual amount of crime for a town this size,” he took a sip of his drink, “But the one person you want to watch out for is a guy known as the Sa’Kage. They say he’s the best fighter in all of Kaminari no Kuni, and he controls the majority of organised crime here. My dad met with him once; he wanted my dad to work for him. He barely made it out alive.” Izanagi remembered his dad coming home from that; bleeding from the majority of his body.

“But we won’t be here long enough for the Sa’Kage to notice us,” Izanagi said, draining his drink and crushing the aluminium in his hand. He chucked it into the bin and grabbed his Naginata. “No rest for the wicked,” he said, “Let’s go.” Izanagi walked out of the door and down the stairs. He had left the keys on the bench in the kitchen; hopefully Tori saw him put it down and would lock the door. Izanagi waited at the bottom of the stairs for his partner. Time to go and find some info.

[cypherpunk]

Controls the majority of organized crime? That is a man Torikkusuta would have to hunt in the future. Crime was one thing he did not tolerate. Such abyssal deeds ruin the wills of the weak, is truly intolerable. I will kill this man Sa’Kage. the Sakurai thought, a deed to which he will surely see to one day. Or so he swore, at least. Now, such a hunt would be foolish, as there was another task to see too.

Torikkusuta did not finish his drink entirely and placed in on the counter in the kitchen. At that, he saw the key on the bench, and quickly he grabbed the key, inserting it into the left coat pocket, before walking out of the door, locking it, and going to meet Izanagi.

After walking down the stairs, he turned to Izanagi and nodded once. ”Let us go.” and walked out through the door of the hotel.

[vincent79]

Izanagi exited the hotel and led the way to the Grand Library; a large building that had been built ages ago, stocked with the oldest books in Kaminari no Kuni. If there was any information on summoning, it would be in here.

“We should look for old mythology books, as well as any historical accounts on summoning,” Izanagi said as he pushed open the doors, “Stretching back as far as they go. You seem the type to focus on the history,” Izanagi pointed to the historical section, “I’ll take the mythology. Grab as many books as you can that look promising, and meet me at that table,” he pointed at the largest table in the middle of the library. As Izanagi headed off, he saw that his Naginata was being eyed by everyone in the library. Izanagi made no motion to acknowledge them; he just moved into the mythology section of the library and began searching for anything that had any relation to summoning creatures. He found about five of them in the whole section.

“Well that was annoying,” Izanagi said as he placed the books on the table, picking up the first one and began reading.

[cypherpunk]

As Torikkusuta walked through the library, the section with historical books to be exact, his feet stepped quietly and breath came soft. He rather not draw too much attention to himself. It was already quite odd that an armed man walked through a library. Shelves of books spanned far, many insignificant, such as A Chronology of Chronologies. Quite the odd book, at that, written of a topic so outrageous that the mere thought of it boggled the mind. Who could possibly write a chronological recounting of chronologies?

His eyes danced, left and right, searching for books with noteworthy title. A single book caught his eye especially, one titled “The Conjurer.” After he grabbed the book, the Sakurai realized that some fool had put it in this section uncaringly, as it was a fictional tale, nothing of historical worth. Mayhap that is a reference of some use, so he grabbed that, along with several other books and returned to the table.

”It will likely worsen. We have to search through books, read and read and read. I have found several books of note.” the Sakurai said as he placed them on the centre of the table.

These writings were titled as follows.

Grand Feats – Men and Women Who Have Achieved the Impossible.

Blood Sacrifice

Shinobi of Thunder – An Accounting of Kumogakure’s shinobi.

[vincent79]

OOC-Time for the Library Montage! And yes, I just swiped the history of the Monkey summons for the myth, so don’t sue please
“Nice haul,” Izanagi noted, as he skimmed through a mythological account of a great ninja who made it his duty to befriend animals. Nothing noted about summoning the things, so Izanagi slammed the book closed and went to the next one. This book was just as useless as the last one, and so were the next ones that Izanagi searched through. He was starting to get frustrated, until he opened the last book that offered the tale of the Seiyuuki family and their lord, the Monkey King, Enma.

“Hey, think I’ve found something interesting,” Izanagi said, then he began reading, “The History of this Family of Primates is almost as long as History itself. There are many Historians and scientists who maintain, even in the face of death threats that humans themselves were born of these creatures. That is to say that Primates were our ancestors, and that we “evolved” from these creatures long ago. While this notion has and will always been hotly contested, the evidence remains very strong that this is in fact true, humans were once Primates who, through the passage of time, eventually gained the ability to speak and reason.

The History of this Clan, however does not have to do with the bridge between Human and Primates, this History has to do with the Monkeys who are the children and Grandchildren of a Primate called Enma. There are many different stories and legends about this particular Monkey. It is said that he was the first monkey to ever be born, but it is also said that this monkey is the bridge between humans and primates, that he is the exact middle between the two. Enma is also said to the King of all monkeys, and that any Monkey that is born of his blood, or any Monkey at all will follow his leadership without question. But truly he is not the eldest, nor the most wise of this Family.

In the beginning of time there was a great Monkey who was born of the ancestors of creatures who crawled out of the sea and onto land to live among the mountains and fields and forests of the world. This Monkey was called Sarudoshi. Thousands of years ago this monkey was born, and thousands of year later he still lives. He is the Great Sage of the monkeys and he imparts wisdom and advice, and even some fortune telling on his relatives. This Monkey grew and grew until he was so huge that when he bellowed words, he caused earthquakes for miles around.

This Monkey gave rise to two others, the Husband and Wife team of Sarujin and Sarusei. These two are second in command, they are just underneath Sarusei in wisdom and age, but they are much more powerful. These two gave rise to the thousands upon thousands of other Monkeys that were part of this family. The one who emerged as the most powerful, however, was Enma.

Enma would become the King of the Monkeys many years after his birth. But for the first thousand years of his life he was simply a wanderer, he traveled the earth and learned much. He learned Ninjutsu from the creators of Ninjutsu and brought those teachings back to the enclave where the Monkey family was located. Enma was able to teach the rest of the Monkey Clan, including the Sages, the Art of Ninjutsu. But the Sages always preferred The Senjutsu of the Seiyuuki Clan to actually Ninjutsu.

The Monkey’s lived on, and forays into the World greatly increased their knowledge of Ninjutsu, and about a hundred years ago, the Great Sages of the Family decided to take their entire family into the Spirit World where they could be called upon to help Ninja’s in battle and where the family could finally rest.

Thus, the Seiyuuki Clan became members of a long line of Mystical animals to enter the World of Spirits and Summons where they can be called upon for the people who need them for protection.” Izanagi closed the book, and looked at Tori, “Looks like you were right, partner,” he said, “Summons could exist, and I think the best place to look would be the forests in Hi no Kuni, not too far from Kaminari no Kuni if memory serves. I’ll need a map though,” Izanagi stood up, “I’m going to go and get some supplies for the trip. See if you can find anything else of use. I’ll meet you back at the hotel.” With that, Izanagi left his partner on his own for a while.

{Exit}

[cypherpunk]

The first of the book, Grand Feats, contained a plethora of useless, but nonetheless interesting information. Tales spanned from shinobi murdering other shinobi of renown to merchants whose enterprise brought unseen wealth. Unfortunately, that information was of no practical use, and disappointed, he placed the book to the side.

The second of the books, Blood Sacrifice, contained information quite useful. The book had suffered over the years it would seem, as a glance at the cover reveals. The words were difficult to write and covered in scratches and most shockingly, blood. A passage near the beginning read as follows:

What is it that defines us men? The victories we bring? Our might? No, but the bonds we form, for they are the thing which last for an eternity. A true comrade never leaves ones side; it matters not what terrors lurk in the shadows. But men, at their core, are untrustworthy. Yet, still there is a bond that rings strong, of such grandiosity, of such strength that… the remaining words, toiled by the years were impossible to decipher

The Sakurai scanned through multiple passages. Many of them spoke of the untrustworthiness of men.

”Why are men so untrustworthy? It is simple greed, the desire for survival. Love, companionship is entirely conditional, only reciprocal.”

But then, a section of note revealed itself.

The strongest of bonds are between men and creatures. Not simple beasts, but monstrosities of unmatched potential with minds as sharp as any other. This is why we learn how to conjure, or colloquially, summon. But why would such a creature submit to the human will? It is not a submission, but a contract formed between the man and a creature. It is not so simple, for a creature to agree, and often, tests are put forth. And a constant sacrifice must be made when calling such. Our blood, the life giving liquid running through our veins.

Satisfied, the Sakurai continued to read a bit more on the sections detailing with how much blood was given, and a minor detail on the process of learning. Keeping that deeply entrenched in his mind, he nodded in satisfaction. This should be quite useful information, when combined with what his comrade had found. Izanagi was quite hasty, and he had already left after reporting on his findings. Grabbing all of the books we selected, Torikkusuta returned them to their respective sections before leaving the library.

[Exit]

[cypherpunk]

[Enter]

Torikkusuta, now out of the library, headed back for the hotel. As he had the key, it would be preferable if he is the first to arrive. Silently the Sakurai shuffled through the streets, eyes moving left and right, drawing in the sights of the city he had not yet seen before. A rather wonderful feeling it is, these new experiences. A pity that soon they will be on the move again.

Some moments passed and finally he arrived at the hotel. Izangi had not arrived yet, and with a shrug, Torikkusuta returned to the room awaiting the companion.

[vincent79]

{Enter}

Izanagi rounded the corner, and entered the hotel and headed up to the room. Tori had already returned.

“Got a map,” he said to his partner, leaning his Naginata against a wall and heading to the fridge, grabbing out two chocolate bars. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but better than nothing. He chucked one to Tori, tearing into his own. “Now, some rest, and we’ll move on to Hi no Kuni later.” He munched on the chocolate bar, looking out of the window. “God, this place brings back memories,” Izanagi said quietly. He looked down into the street, and watched as the people walked back and forth.

“It’s quiet today,” Izanagi, “Not at all like I remember; something must have happened.”

[cypherpunk]

The Sakurai held no particular love for chocolate bars, or any other sweet meals as that, and he simply shrugged when his comrade began to eat. Torikkusuta walked towards the window, blade still at his side. He was uncertain of how lively this city truly was, and if what Izanagi said was correct, the day may became quite curious. While rest would do the Sakurai well, curiosity can often overwhelm rationality, as it had in this situation. In the future, there will be enough time to rest.

”Something must have happened? Are you certain? Perhaps the citizen are simply taking a rest. We could go look, perhaps, to see if anything has occurred.”

[vincent79]

Izanagi looked at his partner. “Maybe,” he said, “But I have a funny feeling that the ‘something’ might not be something we want to screw with. If nothing happens as we leave, we’ll leave. If anything’s wrong, we’ll see it.” Izanagi moved and grabbed Ame-no-Huhoko, leaving the small room. As he advanced down the stairs, he looked around, paranoia gripping him.

“I have a bad feeling,” Izanagi said, looking around slowly. And sure enough, there were six men standing at the reception desk, scaring the hell out of the receptionist.

“Which room?” one of the men asked, “The Sa’Kage wants to see him.” The receptionist was frightened out of her mind, and then she saw Izanagi and pointed.

“There he is!” she yelled, and the six men turned to see Izanagi readying Ame-no-Huhoko, a look of determination on his face. So the Sa’Kage was coming after him now? They needed to get out of Enrai quickly.

“Izanagi Kaguya,” the man said, drawing a weapon, “The Sa’Kage wants to meet with you.”

“If he wants to meet me so bad,” Izanagi said, “The one of you still breathing can tell him to come himself next time.” With that, Izanagi hurled Ame-no-Huhoko at one of them, stabbing him in the chest. “First Dance,” he said, extending two pieces of bone from his palms, “Yanagi no Mai!” He jumped and flipped off of the stairwell and spun, catching one of the guards in the neck. He landed in a crouch, and cracked his neck and he stood up, retracting the bone palms and sliding his jacket and shirt off of his left shoulder. Contracting the muscles in his arm, he forced the bone in his arm upward, penetrating the skin. He grabbed it and drew it out of his skin and pointed it at the others. One had the bravado to draw a sword and come at him.

“Second Dance,” Izanagi said as he blocked the strike, “Tsubaki no Mai”. He struck out rapidly, cutting into the man at various points on his body before it gave out. He clashed with another one, holding him there.

“Tori, some help,” Izanagi pushed the grunt backwards, making him connect his head with the desk before having to fend off another one, “WOULD BE NICE!”

SPOILER: Click to show

Yanagi no Mai (Dance of the Willows)
Rank: "C" Rank
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: A TaiJutsu technique dedicated to the arts of moving fluently to attack multiple ranges around using fluent motions while using two concentrated features along their arms as primary weapons.
Special: ---
Drawback: As long as the bones are within the very palms, it slowly begins to take the effect of the Disease as it is needed in order to keep the arm from becoming weak, and then failing.
Description: Extending from both palms are two lance-like bone protrusions, usually around 1-1.3 meters in length, which is a little smaller than a typical katana. It takes quite a bit of balance to even begin with this graceful dance of death, for each attack is a graceful dancer-esque motion, flowing like water between each motion. As such, this very dance is quite flexible, allowing for a large range of motion from strike to strike. Thus, it is indeed possible to flow from strike to strike, or instantly change up how one would have struck before, within the motions of the arm of the human body of course. Due to this nature, it is most effective when used to battle groups or swarms of enemies, as it makes it much easier to create a perfectly harmonic balance of attack and defense. This is known as the First Dance of the Kaguya. With this dance, one is able to strike 4 different directions within 1 movement (2 with each hand). They may not concentrate the strike on one area, but will spread the strikes about them to multiple targets.
Limit: Kaguya Bloodlimit, Must know Bone Pulling

Tsubaki no Mai (Dance of the Camellia)
Rank: "B"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: A technique known where the user takes their own bone along their arm, and uses it in a dance formation attacking all those around, while still moving giving them the agility speed to evade certain capabilities.
Special: ---
Drawback: The first initial movement of taking out the bone costs as much as a normal "C" Rank due to its extreme size.
Description: A bone extends from the shoulder, what can be seen in the beginning resembling what appears to be a hilt, the rest of the bone still within the flesh. As the Kaguya pulls the bone from his body, it is instantly replaced with another bone in its stead, so as not to cause the Kaguya any form of discomfort. The bone itself is more katana-like, however the bone itself is less refined than that of Yanagi no mai, but that does not make it any less deadly. Lacking in the fluid grace to the extremes like that of Yanagi no Mai, the Kaguya is usually continuously on the move, making him quite the difficult target for enemies. Even though it no longer has the grace, it makes up for this loss with its impressive speed, normally striking before the opponent even has time to react. This is the Second Dance of the Kaguya. This technique allows the kaguya to strike twice within the same movement. The reason this technique comes after the Yanagi no Mai in training is because of the speed with which these 2 strikes can be delivered. Though you are losing 2 strikes between this and its predecessor, you are gaining exceptional speed. While performing this dance you move at a speed as if you were 1 rank higher then you actually are are (S ranks gain 2 movements). So for each of those movements you will be capable of striking 2 times.
Limit: Kaguya Bloodlimit, Must know Bone Pulling, Must know Yanagi no Mai (Dance of the Willows)

4 + 8 = 12 KD Slots

[cypherpunk]

Men came for Izanagi, and I was not certain why. Perhaps that thing he mentioned with his father? But it does not matter what they have come for. Their death will be their punishment for the sins they have committed in their lives.

When the first weapon was drawn, Torikkusuta’s hands immediately erupted into a series of handseals. At their completion, the naturally silver eyes underwent a slight change in colour, and the irises dimmed to a bright indigo. The pupils lightened, almost a pure white. Within the pupil of pure white, a small triangle formed. At that, the world immediately cleared before his eyes. As he preferred to call the Sansuegan, the eyes of a seer. Nothing could escape his sight, for this mighty eye is given to the noble Sakurai, who will not submit to simple, petty thugs.

With the right hand, he unstrapped the blade and immediately burst into rapid movement, almost too quick for the eye to follow. Appearing before one of the men, he stood still, regaining his composure for but several seconds before lunging the blade through the mans throat. Pulling the blade from the throat, he spun around the man to the next most, the wire around his blade unwrapping itself. The man who had been stabbed fell to the ground, limp, grasping his throat.

Grabbing that with the left hand, he swung it at the second opponent as if it were a whip, cutting into his chest, blood flowing freely. The wire blade is a sacred weapon of the Sakurai, and given to them when they become a true man. And it is this blessed weapon that shall be used to cut down this filth.

As he fought, Torikkusuta remained wordless, wasting not a single breath on unneeded statements. The man cut by the wire did not seem to be wounded gravely, and quickly he recovered by sending a straight first directly for my face. But my senses were sharp, and with the future eye of mine, I saw a slight change in the mans position, he shifted his weight forward, and I stepped to the outside of the man.

SPOILER: Click to show

Sansuegan: Shoten (Triple Future Eye: First Point)[30 TP]
Rank: C
Skill: Doujutsu
Effect: The user activates the first level of the Sansuegan, granting them perceptive abilities and analytical abilities.
Special: “Hand Seals”
Drawback: Though the user can analyze and predict, they are unable to copy motions. Requires a small, continuous flow of chakra.
Description: The user forms the hand seal, focusing chakra into their eyes. The user’s eyes will change in color, with the irises transitioning to a vivid indigo and the pupils turning pure white. A single white acute triangle, with an angle of about thirty degrees, tapers to a point a few millimeters away from the pupil. In this form, the user is capable of accurately perceiving everything within their field of motion, making their extreme peripheral vision just as strong as their normal vision. The user also gains analysis of these things in their field of vision, being able to easily discern signs of passage such as displaced grass and impressed bark. The user also becomes capable of registering the leftover imprints of chakra made by techniques, perceiving the excess chakra as opposed to the used chakra. The user's ability to perceive minute changes and differences in their environment allow them to puncture D rank and lower GenJutsu techniques through the power of observation and chakra analysis. The user can activate this technique without hand seals once they reach C Rank.
Limit: Must be a born member of the Sakurai Clan.


Dash [30 TP]
Rank: "C"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: A technique similar to that of Shunshin, however this enables the user to use Shunshin in smaller increments within the ten meters of Shunshin.
Special: ---
Drawback: Depending on how many times a user knows Shunshin depends on how long a user is able to perform this technique.
Description: With Shunshin the user is able of moving forward or moving so far within a distance of ten meters in a straight line. With Shunshin if the user wishes to move towards another direction they must stop, and waste another Shunshin in order to do so. With Dash however, the user is able to change directions once within the distance of Shunshin without ever sacrificing another Shunshin. This means that if a user wishes to Dash forward five meters, and yet side step dash another five meters the user is able of doing so without sacrificing two shunshins.
Limit: Must learn in a gym that teaches Bokushingu (Boxing), Must know Upright Stance or Semi-Crouch

Waia Soujuu (Wire Handling)[5 TP]
Rank: E
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: The user is capable of wielding the Itosen Blade without harming themselves on the wire.
Special: --
Drawback: --
Description: The user exudes a faint amount of chakra from their hands, which allows them to grasp the wire without cutting themselves along it. This technique is second nature for all Sakurai Clan members, counting as the equivalent of a 'stance'.
Limit: Sakurai Clan only, must have Itosen Blade


Rezawaia no Jutsu (Art of the Razor Wire)[10 TP]
Rank: D, C, B, A, S
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: Allows the user to effectively wield the razor wire attached to the blade as a whip-like weapon without harming themselves.
Special: --
Drawback: Cannot defend against GenJutsu. A small amount of chakra is used to aid in the control of the wire.
Description: With this technique, the user is capable of fighting with powerful defense-piercing attacks and sudden defenses in the Rezawaia Style with an Itosen Blade's wire without harming themselves. The user may defend against TaiJutsu equal to their rank in this technique with the Itosen Blade, and may attempt to dissipate non-tangible Ninjutsu equal to two ranks below their rank in this technique with the wire.
Limit: Sakurai Clan only, must have an Itosen Blade, must know Waia Soujuu

[vincent79]

Izanagi knocked his current opponent onto the ground, placing the point of the bone-sword on his throat. “Lucky you, you’re the one that gets to live,” he said, “Tell the Sa’Kage what happened, and that he will never get a Kaguya on his side.” He removed the point, and the grunt ran.

“Well, that was fun,” Izanagi said, dropping the piece of bone and grabbing his Naginata, pulling it out of the man’s chest. Suddenly, his body was wracked with pain and his muscles seized up. Izanagi coughed, blood flying from his mouth. The disease had progressed; it was the only explanation. After the pain faded, Izanagi wiped his mouth. “Time to go,” he said, “Leave the bodies; the Sa’Kage will send someone to get them.” He exited the hotel, aiming for the city outskirts. They needed to be gone before the Sa’Kage got pissed enough to kill them himself. Passing back into the wilderness, Izanagi headed to the woods, where ninja skills would give them the edge if they were followed.

{Exit}

[cypherpunk]

The man, previously wounded by the wire, attempted to follow through with another strike but was quickly brought down with a backwards stab into his lower back. He then shifted his gaze to Izanagi, who had also successfully repelled his opponent. This encounter was successful, and neither of us were in any particular danger during the engagement.

Odd. He truly does seem to be ill. The sakurai thought when his companion coughed blood, after he had spoken to the last surviving man.

With a last glance at the dead bodies, Torikkusuta followed Izanagi to the woods, Sanseugan still active. Should they be chased, this eye will be of use, and keeping it active is not overly strenuous on the body.

[Exit]