Deuces Wild

And just like that, the Mizukage found himself back in the cove . . .

A mere couple of days ago the plans were discussed and actions were taken toward the succession of Ōsharu keeping his promise to his village, this lone promise weighed on the man's shoulder like the earth, but through his god given perseverance he trudged on despite the many doubts and threats. As he sat back in his chair reflecting on the previous events in full detail Ōsharu couldn't help but think about even dire current events. . .

"In the meantime, I must start work on a Summit... Lies will be thrown left and right, but the truth shall come forth... One way or another..."

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Flashback:

Word Count: 532

OOC::

Being a shinobi was and will forever be a full time gig, alertness of the mind and senses was a must, but at times the very senses that one honed for their protection actually can backfire on them. As was the case of the moment, the sigh released by the young boy had been executed and recited over many times by those before him, more than likely he had too much on his mind and being the newfound sensei that he was forced Ōsharu to play the "listening ear" role under being a mentor. Acting as though he didn't grasp the situation already, he awaited until he was actually addressed to wheel back around in a 180 degree fashion to face and listen to the newest member of his squad.

"True gifts, huh? Hmph... The limits of these so called gifts will be tested soon enough..."

"Wow... That definitely didn't go how I expected... Nevertheless, proceed Zevas.."

The glow emitting from the young boy's eyes directly caused an eyebrow to be raised from the Mizukage out of curiosity, the thought of why the boy had chosen to wear sunglasses within the confines of a dimly lit cave had crossed the man's mind prior to the big unveiling, but choosing to speak on it could have been seen as rude, thus he didn't. The look of pity worn by Zevas was met with one of confusion worn by Ōsharu. Extending his right hand and turning it over twice revealing both sides of the hand, upon turning his palms facing up for a third time a rose standing upward composed of chakra enriched salt formed. Yet, with a simple stream of air the construct blew away. The sound of Ōsharu's boots on the rocky floor echoed off of the inclosed cave walls as he distanced himself from the genin, though still facing the boy he stopped with both feet together and his right hand extended outward while the other rested behind his back.

Mission in Progress:

Chakra Pool: 266.25
Word Count: 357

In the day of ninja verbal communication had increasingly become limited for the very nature of being a ninja took part in the arts of stealth, thus when the boy gave a nod to the verbal challenged issued by his sensei that was all it took for the battle mindset to sink in for the both of them. From the moment Ōsharu issued the challenge toward his student his body remained as unwavering as ever, but in the midst his eyes and brain worked simultaneously to asses the situation and simulate different battle scenarios. The only disadvantage/step back that he faced was that of the challenge itself, a display of an unknown kekkei genkai, the possibilities to the abilities that the child wielded were endless. If he was not cautious this simple spar could turn deadly fast.


The gears of the spar went in motion as Zevas made a specific gesture before running in a circle around the Mizukage, and despite the speed displayed by the boy being adequate for someone his age, the blue haired man kept track of him. With his eyes fixed on the boy as he went round and round Ōsharu viewed and took note of every step and misstep, a simple spinning on his heels before sidestepping was all that it took to evade the boy's technique once it was finally cast. Swiveling his head around to view the aftermath of the technique, a certain excitement grew within the young Mizukage as his mind tried to discern what it was that the beam of light was composed of and how it left burn marks on the cave wall.


The words streaming from his lips moved in tandem with his hands as he came to a stop in the half-ram hand seal, instantly a puff of smoke emerged and out of it went three miniature versions of the Mizukage, their giant star shaped pupils matched their enlarged head forcing them to lean back slightly as the chased after the boy. The three weaved in and out of one another so as to throw off another possible shot by Zevas and his form of lazerbeams, after closing in on him one of three attempted a slide between the boy's legs while the other each threw a punch to both of sides. All the while Ōsharu simply stood his ground with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes scanned the certain situation and he began to asses his newest student.

Jutsu Used:

Chakra Pool: 266.25 - 3.75 = 262.5
Word Count: 460

The most simplest of techniques proved to be of the greatest uses given the enclosed space of the surrounding area. Upon the bright light flashing, the Mizukage's hands flung to his face to shield his eyes which had been forced closed, the chibi bunshin flailed their arms rapidly as they knocked each other to the ground repeatedly. The squeaks that his clones made as they moved about proved more useful to him that he had ever thought, thus his mind began working on a counter-offensive. Despite trying to convince himself that he would stay away from being flashy, the excitement of the battle began to sink in.



After placing his right hand in the half-tiger seal, a darkened mist began to seep from the pores on the Mizukage's body and also rolling in from the only entrance and exit. The mist began to accumulate rapidly within the enclosed area of the cove, it's properties proving useful for both parties as sight was restricted. With one of his five senses of no use to him, Ōsharu made sure to provide an ample amount to his other senses. With good timing, his ears picked up on the last of three squeaks made by the trio, to no surprise they had lost their lives in the confusion brought about by Zevas. While keeping his right hand in the half-tiger position, the blue haired man extended his chakra outward making use of his skills in the sensory category.



After locking on to the boy's chakra signature Ōsharu began his first true offensive against his student, the passive aggressive side of Kirigakure's beloved leader was slowly escaping him as he began to run in much the same fashion that his student had done to him. Around and around he went in a clockwise motion, but all the while he made sure to keep at a 15 foot radius with Zevas at the center. To increase the degree of difficulty Ōsharu's hands crossed to create a familiar clone ( + ) seal, during the midst of him running salt began to congregate on his right side before a fully function replica composed of chakra enriched salt emerged. With the castor running clockwise and his clone running counter-clockwise around the genin deciphering who and what was where was nigh impossible with the restricted visibility brought on by the black colored mist.



Hidden thoughts were communicated between Ōsharu and his clone, thus his final plan went into motion. A set of hand seals were performed by the clone following his hand being coated in a deep blue chakra, the highest point being his middle finger, despite its ominous glow it still wouldn't be able to be seen through the mist. The clone moved in for a complete frontal assault, within the appropriate range a slash from the highest point of Zevas's left shoulder to midway on his chest, although not a fatal blow it would cause for some immobility. Continuing to run a path around his student with his eyes closed, Ōsharu still assessed the situation through means of his sensory skill, capturing the actions being made in his mind's eye. This would also prove useful if things happened to go wrong.

Jutsu Used:

Chakra Pool: 262.5 - 1.25 (D) - 6.25 (B) = 251.25
Clone Chakra: 260 - 35 (C) = 225
Word Count: 612

"Three seconds, Zevas..."

The voice, broad enough to seemingly fill every crevice of the cave and echoing repeatedly like some type of nightmarish dream, belonged to no other than the Mizukage. What was that in his voice? His tone different from when he previously spoke, now a hint of a mixture between being annoyed and disappointed in a manner of speaking. In many ways the current situation gave good reason to be disappointed, his student had not lived up to the level of expectation gained from his previous performance no more than a few battle moves before. Within Ōsharu's minds eye, which depicted the extent of his sensory skill, the blue humanoid figure which he knew to be Zevas stalled after noticing the clone charging toward him, thus changing his attack target. By relinquishing his true speed Ōsharu seemingly disappeared mid stride as the kunai from Zevas began to become engulfed in an intensely lit chakra, by the time they were released from his hand a blurred trail of pale white and blue caught up to the appearance of the Mizukage as he reappeared behind his student.  

"Had he not learned anything?... A critical thinker no doubt he was, but had he not acquired any analytical skills?... Knowing one's enemy is key to any battle..."

"Two seconds, Zevas..."

Despite his voice coming out at no more than a whisper into the left ear of his student, it flowed like velvet as it worked in tandem with his already moderately deep voice, all of which added to the increased ominous yet nightmarish feel of things amongst his sudden appearance. A breath's time span of silence was all that was afforded after the Mizukage had last spoke. Before Zevas could finish the completion of his third and final hand seal his shoulder would jolt forward, this causing the displacement of his hands. -- Clink -- The kunai chimed as they pierced into the earthen cave wall after failing to be caught, the boy's foot exerting enough force to secure their place in the rocky interior now that they had changed shape, the glow emitted by these tools casting a ominous glow in the distance akin a lighthouse on a foggy night.  The culprit? None other than Ōsharu, using the momentum of his expedited travel he transferred this through his stop and into his shoulder which in turn nudged into his student's.

Using the residual energy from the impact, he whipped his body to the left which allowed his left arm to swing over the shoulder of the same side of Zevas. The man's arm, extended to it's fullest length, ended with his pale elongated index finger pointing a foot away from the center of his own face, the overall appearance resembling that of a gun with the thumb as the hammer. Like a sleeper agent, the clone had been given its' orders and was designed to go to the fullest lengths to complete them, this little known fact only caused a devilish grin  to crack across the blue haired man's face as he opened his eyes revealing the honey gold color of his eyes for the first time since being blinded, his sight returning to him and the scene panning out precisely as he had depicted all the while.

"Time is up Zevas..."

-- Boom -- Followed the creation of a dagger shaped bullet comprised of compact chakra enriched salt that released from the Mizukage's pores. As it soared the last foot through the air before entering into the skull of the Salt Clone the black liquid that comprised the mist that clogged the air began to accumulate in a never ending swirling pattern around the bullet. A stream of salt poured out of the seemingly bullet hole that had been left in the clone's head, its' body went limp as it fell against Zevas before sliding to the floor, the blue hue of chakra which made up the non-executed attack faded from the clone's hand before it exploded into a pile of fine grain salt.

A long sigh released from Ōsharu's chest as he lowered his head and began walking away, patting the boy on the chest in the process to indicate that things were finished. From the moment he took off racing toward his student it felt as though time had slowed, the pace at which he moved seemed to have almost slipped into the hundreths of seconds in between time, yet his movements flowed gracefully like the very element he had come to Master. His hands slid within the secluded areas of his inner jacket pulling out a silver flask, the rapidly spinning off before falling to the side bound by a strap. It's contents being turned upside down before entering the body of the Mizukage, the sleeve of his free hand being used as a makeshift napkin before aiding the other in returning the flask to its' prior location.

"High quality, H20... Any who... Many hours of training are upon us, Zevas... You're smart, no doubt about that, but... When need to get to instill some.. Er... 'Other' -types of smarts into you... Nevertheless, that is all for today..."

Jutsu Used:

Chakra Pool: 251.25 - 17.5 (A) - 20 (B|L) =  213.75
Word Count: 858