A Squad In The Making (Private/Katashi/Chikara/Aiko)

Erwin continued to count down the average time needed to render one unconscious via strangulation as he watched from his position behind and to the right of theirs when using a direct path towards the exit of the training grounds as straight ahead. Katashi was initially unsuccessful in breaking free from Chikara’s scarved grasp, something that as a shinobi one should either be able to do, or fake falling unconscious if one prefers. Rendering Katashi unconscious would indeed remove the threat of him escaping, and Erwin never said they couldn’t, but all it takes is a little extra time for that unconsciousness to escalate to death. Not to mention that if they knocked him out they would have to carry around Katashi’s dead weight while they dealt with Erwin alone. ”That’s enough Chikara… I would like to see his potential before he dies.” Akio’s tone spoke of no hidden sincerity or concern for his teammate’s life, only the literal desire to see Katashi’s potential use before he dies. A rather grim view of things but something that wasn’t surprising coming from the lips of a Kaguya.

”Let’s get this over with already.” Akio’s next statement wasn’t directed towards Chikara but out into the mist in the direction Erwin had initially left the group from, which meant it was likely for his ears, although only a few moments later Akio seemed to have realized an ulterior use for strangling Katashi and addressed Chikara once more. ”Actually… continue with your fun Chikara. Perhaps it could serve some good.” There was a faint hint of wicked excitement in the young Kaguya’s voice that time, perhaps he realized the benefits of knocking Katashi unconscious, or perhaps he knew that Erwin would be forced to intervene if it went any further than that. Rendering Katashi unconscious could be seen as part of the test, their job was to escort him alive from point A to point B without him escaping, but the key part of that was “alive”. Killing him was the very thing they weren’t supposed to do, which in a mission sense spoke of willingness to disobey orders when it suited them, if they were even taking this test like a serious endeavor. If not then these children were either smart enough to find a loophole to the test and draw Erwin out early, or they had some serious demons.

Erwin would give Katashi one last chance to break free or feign unconsciousness. If he broke free the test could continue on as planned, if not whether by feigning or true unconsciousness Erwin would then his sensory abilities to keep track of Katashi’s life force and count down the time needed to kill after rendering the target unconscious. If Chikara ended it there and Katashi’s life wasn’t in danger then Erwin would have no need to jump in and things could still go as planned, but if she continued post unconsciousness his hand would be forced. If she didn’t stop Erwin would then quickly approach Chikara in absolute silence from his position behind and to the right of them, shifting position as necessary to put him just to her left or right, pending which was furthest from Akio. ((was never really specified, or I'm just too out of it to find it, and works both ways so I’ll leave that up to you)) Then, in one remarkably swift and utterly silent motion, he would draw the wakizashi at his left waist with his right hand, sever the line of cloth between Chikara and Katashi, and return his blade to its sheath before the average person, or even average shinobi for that matter, would realize anything had happened. All of this providing Katashi didn’t escape and was in danger of being strangled to death, otherwise things would proceed as planned.

((Giving Kat another chance before I jump in, given the time of year I’m sure things are busy but if he doesn’t at least say something to one of us in two-three days or so we’ll need to continue on with him unconscious.))

[Word Count: 579]
[Total: 6363]
[Potential Chakra Usage: 242.5/250]

Potential Techniques/Styles Used:

Currently Maintained Style:

Keeping his head on a swivel Akio would catch a single glance of Erwin gliding through the air as his blade cut the fabric. While he didn't exactly see the man the small movement that he could pick up as the connection with the fabric slowed him down just a bit the Chunin stared at the fabric that fell from Chikara's hands to the ground. He would remain silent and wide-eyed until he started to laugh and cackle in a menacing low tone as his body quivered with delight. "eehhhhhahaa, now...this is interesting." Having studied the Seven Swordsman of the Mist for quite some time the boy was rather familiar with the technique that his Sensei had just made use of. "S-silent killing, kind of not the way it was intended to be used, but still an interesting feat none the less." Turning to face the direction he noticed the flash head Akio would grin as he noticed his Sensei sheathing his weapon, a bad idea when in the middle of combat or at least Akio thought so since he was not familiar with the fighting style. Lowering his head slightly the boy rushed toward Erwin as he readied to strike. "You're mine now!" The young Chunin would shout in a bloodthirsty tone as he closed the distance between him and his target. His headband cloth flapping in the wind as his blue hair danced along brushing against his eye patch while his only revealed eye burnt with excitement and seemed to now radiate their golden hue.

In the middle of running Akio pivoted to his right and balanced all his weight on his right foot as he lifted his left foot slightly. Shifting all his weight forward the Kaguya would extend his right leg as he sent an up kick toward the bottom of his Sensei's chin, one of Konohagakure's famous Taijutsu moves. If Akio were to catch his Sensei with this move he would not waste a single moment. The blue haired Chunin would then jump into the air to meet Erwin before unleashing a combination of kicks. First, a low kick to the older man's abdomen followed by a kick to the chest and finally another one aimed for his chin. If these were to all land the shinobi would then finish off the combination with a heel drop that would hopefully send the man back down to the ground if it were to land. However, if something were to go wrong the Chunin would not take any chance and would simply spring back to make some space between him and his Sensei. After all the Kaguya had to remember that the man was still a Jounin and was currently wielding not one, but two swords and most likely some other shinobi tools and possibly a backup weapon.

WC: 472
Total WC: 3,871
Chakra Usage: 160/170

Jutsu Used:

As Erwin had feared Chikara had shown no intentions of stopping after she had knocked Katashi unconscious, the key word being shown. It was doubtable that she wanted to cut her life short by strangling her teammate to death in front of their sensei, but given the circumstances Erwin’s hand was being forced, smart. Why wander through the mist blind of your enemies location when you can force them to act on your terms, their strategy was uncouth at best but impressed him regardless of the initial rules of the test. And so begun the physical portion of their exam. Erwin decided to keep his sensory capabilities active after freeing Katashi with a quick silent slash of his wakizashi from Chikara’s right, that he would be able to keep an eye on both of his remaining students and the unconscious genin’s life force. His completely silent approach and severing of the scarf seemed to have caught the young girl by surprise seeing as she staggered a little and shifted her weight to prevent from falling back after Erwin had severed it, although the young Kaguya seemed to have caught a glimpse of the act out of the corner of his eye given the wide-eyed expression on his face, which was followed by a menacing cackle.

”Eehhhhhahaa, now… this is interesting. S-silent killing, kind of not the way it was intended to be used, but still and interesting feat none the less.” It seemed Akio was familiar with the ways of the old Swordsmen of the Mist, although the desire for silent combat was hardly limited to them, nonetheless Erwin’s use of it appeared to have peaked the young Chuunin’s excitement for combat. Aided by his sensory capabilities Erwin noticed that Chikara left it up to Akio to throw the first punch and that Akio was taking advantage of Erwin sheathing his blade after swiftly dispatching Katashi’s scarf, lowering his head slightly as he rushed Erwin. Typically this would have been a sound strategy, catch your enemy before they can re-draw their weapon, but Erwin was one of the last people you wanted to do that to. ”You’re mine now!” The blood thirst of the Kaguya was ever present in Akio’s tone, but he was still young and far too cocky for his own good as he prepped for an upwards kick towards Erwin’s chin.

Sure Erwin could have cut the boys leg off before he knew what hit him, he was in the perfect position to do so given his mastery of Iaido, but that would be a bit excessive given the nature of their fight. Instead Erwin decided to counter with his own hand to hand maneuver. Utilizing his superior reaction speed Erwin would shift his right leg further to the right as Akio started extending his right leg towards his head, shifting his left leg back and to the right to result in a left turn of the body while moving to the right of his initial position. Using the momentum of both this turn and Akio’s kick Erwin would then attempt to latch on to the boy’s foot with his right arm by bringing it up and wrapping it around his ankle while holding it to his chest while simultaneously bringing his right arm around with an open palm thrust at Akio’s knee cap, then following through by using the momentum of his thrust and turn to attempt to swing Akio by the leg at Chikara where, if successful, he would release the Chuunin’s leg tossing him into the young girl with a fair amount of force.

If his counter was successful Akio would likely suffer from hyper extension in his right leg and they would both suffer from minor scrapes and bruising as a result of the toss and impact, otherwise he would need to react as necessary to anything Chikara or Kaiden had in store. This toss, if successful, would also give them some space from each other, allowing for the two of them to think of a way to attack together seeing as Erwin wouldn’t immediately go on the offensive. He would, however, silently strafe to the left in order to give the unconscious Katashi some room.

[Word Count: 672]
[Total: 7035]
[Chakra: 227.5/250: -15 for C-Rank Upkeep]

Technique Sustained:

Currently Maintained Style:

Having not suspected any problems from the older man Akio was a little surprised when Dark grabbed his raised leg. However, as the man pinned his leg against his own chest Akio noticed this was his chance. Keeping his widened eye on his Sensei the boy grinned as bones quickly popped out from his flesh, they would protruded from several locations on his body, the famed Dance of the Larch technique. Several wrapping around both his legs and arms as well as his torso, collar bone, and shoulders. Along with these bones he would quickly bend and elongate his Ribs through his chest and wrapping around his left leg, causing bones to pierce Erwin's right hand if he were to not let go of the Chunin's leg. While it would keep the Kaguya from flying through the air he would have to react to the blow to his knee. Since he couldn't exactly dodge or block the blow in his current position he did the only possible thing he could do. Force the man to either move or suffer another attack. "An eye for an eye!" The boy shouted as he raised his hands and held his palms toward the ground.

Forming a joyfull smile on his face the Kaguya was sure he had trapped his Sensei now, even if he wanted to move if the first counter struck Erwin would have to rip himself free and would most likely suffer a nasty stab from the attackers sharp bones that he had seemed to not care if proved lethal. After all, if the Jounin died so quickly he wasn't worthy of being a squad leader anyway If he couldn't keep his students in check how did he expect to protect them if it came down to such a situation.

As small black holed stretched on the tips of each of Akio's fingers he began to form bullets out of his bones. Forcing the newly formed projectiles out of his body at high speeds with chakra he would fire all ten at once aimed directly at his Sensei from both sides. Even though he had an idea on escaping the Jounin's grip Akio still wasn't very sure how he would follow the attack up. Although he would have to worry about detaching himself from Erwin after the counter. before focusing on anything else. However for the moment he would simply focus all of his efforts on escaping, after all he could do with out a leg injury from a simple test.

WC: 420
Total WC: 4.291
Chakra Usage: 135/170

Jutsu Used:

With the information flowing in from his sensory technique Erwin could instantly tell something was awry when chakra began to spread through the Chuunin’s body in the shape of his skeletal structure. It seemed his student had indeed inherited the rare bloodline ability of the Kaguya, at least that was Erwin’s logical deduction, which posed an immediate threat to Erwin considering the fact that he had pinned the boys leg and was about to hit Akio’s knee cap with his bare hand. Erwin stopped his thrust mid swing and sure enough bone spikes burst forth from numerous areas on the boy’s body. ”An eye for an eye!” A somewhat ironic reference considering both Akio and himself were missing or at least had damaged left eyes, although the true symbolism of the phrase didn’t escape Erwin. Nonetheless with the young Kaguya aiming all ten of his fingers at him with chakra building within them Erwin’s only logical choice was a tactical retreat. He immediately released the Chuunin’s leg from the grasp of his left arm, grasped the handle of his wakizashi with his right hand, and leapt back from his position (which would put him to Akio’s left) as the young Kaguya fired what appeared to be spinning bone projectiles out of his fingertips.

A couple projectiles from Akio’s far left were on a trajectory that put them a little too close for comfort, prompting Erwin to lash out with his wakizashi and deflect them with the flat of the blade at an angle in a blur and resheath it once more. The speed that he did so would likely give Akio the knowledge that Erwin was far from helpless with his blade sheathed. With the knowledge of his own that Akio was a true heir to the Kaguya bloodline Erwin would need to be more careful in close range combat while also keeping a “mind’s eye” on Chikara as well, who seemed to be content with watching while sitting on Katashi’s unconscious body but likely had plans of her own to put into play. As he came to a stop roughly ten feet back from his original position Erwin drew his wakizashi once more, although this time with his left hand, and with a slight smile on his face readied himself for another attack from Akio. At least one of his students were quite capable, an heir to the Kaguya blood trait could prove a most valuable military asset if moulded carefully. One might also note that the sound of his actions were currently audible. Erwin left his sabre sheathed for the time being just in case he needed to make use of the Iaido style once more. Until he deemed it necessary he would stick to just his wakizashi, which despite its small size packed a very potent punch when combined with some of the other techniques in his arsenal.

[Word Count: 476]
[Total: 7511]
[Chakra: 227.5/250|Free turn for sustain, no usage]

Technique Sustained:

Style Used:

The same devilish grin remained on Akio's face as he withdrew his bones back under his body was back to it's original smooth skin. Having successfully driven Erwin back the boy would plant his feet back on the ground before continuing on with his assault. However, before he would do anything he would observe his surroundings. Erwin was at bay for the moment, but noticed he was readying for another attack. Although Akio would have to face Erwin by himself seeing as Chikara seemed to be content with sitting on top of Katashi. Quickly removing a single pill from his Chunin vest pouch the boy would quickly down it. Keeping his eyes on Erwin the boy would hold his grin on his face as he rolled his neck to the right and held it in place to the right. Sliding his Chunin vest slightly off of his shoulder the Kaguya utilized his Clan's powers once more, sprouting a single bone out of his shoulder. Once the sword-like bone surfaced Akio reached over with his right hand and removed the bone. Reading himself for an attack from Erwin the boy would continue on with his second technique.

Hunching over and bending his elbows Akio would wince before letting out a sharp cry. The sounding of crawling skin could be heard as his spin popped out of the base of the Chunin's back and became a tail of sorts. At the same time he would reform a skin in place of his old one while keeping the original as a whip-like tail. If his Sensei had not attacked by now Akio would begin with his next assault. Dashing forward the shinobi would stop a few meters away from the older man before lunging forward sending hundreds of swift thrusts toward his Sensei. Targeting a different spot of his body with every thrust not leaving out a single limb. Targeting his head with the final heavy thrust Akio would sprawl low to the ground while whipping at the older man's neck. Continuing on his would turn back to face the man sending several more stabs toward him before swinging his whip tail back at the man. However, this time he would aim for the man's hand with his sword in it. If the tail were to hit the man's hand it would continue through with the attack. Although the man adjusted, a more likely outcome, Akio would aim straight for the sword curling his tail around it immobilizing the man as he would unleash another flurry of stabs with the bone sword in his right hand this time aiming straight for his Sensei's torso hoping to inflict the most damage.

While in the middle of the attack Akio would block out his surroundings. This would both prove to allow him to focus more on the fight, but still block out Chikara's voice. Which means the Chunin would not respond to her request for him to give the girl a bone thus not allowing his teammate to perform her technique. Recovering from all of his attack if Akio was not countered or stopped he would jump back, creating space between the two to allow for him to stabilize himself and ready for any attack Erwin would launch.

WC: 543
Total WC: 4,834
Chakra Usage: 122.5/170

Used Items:

Jutsu Used:

Erwin would maintain his defensive posture with his wakizashi in his left hand as Akio gauged his surroundings, he wanted to see what the boy was capable of offensively before testing out his defense. It was a good sign that Akio was “present” enough to observe the battlefield, and even think ahead enough to use some sort of enhancement pill, but in a real life or death situation he wouldn’t have the time Erwin gave him. At least he wasn’t in a blind rage acting solely on instinct, there was that much. “Akio! Can you spare one of your short pointy bones? I would like to stab my hand,” A curious request if ever there was one, apart from freeing oneself from genjutsu self mutilation rarely worked to one’s advantage, what was Chikara up to? A wicked grin on the young Kaguya’s face and his complete focus upon Erwin would imply that Akio didn’t even notice Chikara’s words, maybe his previous thought of the boy being attentive enough to pay attention to his surrounding was misplaced. As Akio tilted his head to the right Erwin could tell he was readying for his next attack, there was a build up of chakra within his left humerus.

Sure enough within moments a bone erupted from Akio’s left shoulder and he pulled it free with his right hand as if he was unsheathing a blade, in fact the bone actually resembled a short blade designed for thrusting. Seeing this Erwin decided it would be best to have both weapons at the ready, quickly drawing his sabre with his right hand and shifting to a duelist’s stance, moving his left foot back and pointing his right directly at Akio while holding his right arm out towards Akio at mid abdomen level with his sabre pointing above and behind the Chuunin. He relaxed his left arm and held the wakizashi pointed at the ground slightly behind him and to the left, his body would appear to be at a steep angle, almost perpendicular, when compared to Akio’s. This gave him an advantage by minimizing striking area for thrusting attacks and making them far easier to parry. In the mean time it didn’t seem that Akio was finished with his transformations, after hunching over and with an apparent amount of pain he sprouted a tail of sorts, one that appeared to be made of his spine and gave the impression of a whip-like weapon. Erwin was curious to see how his student would use these weapons together.

He wouldn’t have to wait long, immediately after forming this whip-like tail the young Kaguya charged. Yet again if this were a life or death situation Akio would have been met with an attack designed specifically to decimate charging opponents, but attempting to kill your student in the middle of a training exercise wouldn’t exactly be good publicity so Erwin would shackle himself for the time being. As he thought the young Chuunin opened with a thrusting assault that repeatedly stabbed at his various extremities, and a surprisingly fast one for someone his rank at that, but with his superior defensive posture and ridiculously fast reflexes Erwin was able to efficiently parry Akio’s barrage of thrusting attacks with his sabre, pushing them aside just enough to miss his body while occasionally backstepping to make sure Akio didn’t get too close where his shorter bone blade would have the advantage. At least this was his course of action until Akio prepped for his final thrust at his head where three things happened all at roughly the same time.

First: Erwin’s saber connected with Akio’s bone short sword, roughly four inches from the boy’s fingers, pushing it to the right (Akio’s left). Second: Chakra in the form of light blue energy immediately erupted from his sabre, coating it entirely in a light blue aura that took on a heavily serrated shape with spikes that curved both up and down, with Akio’s blade in between two of the curved spikes. Third: These spikes began to rapidly circle the length of the blade, the ones curved towards the tip moving up the edge and down the back while the ones curved towards the hilt moved down the edge and up the back, resulting in a chainsaw like appearance and effectiveness that ground through objects without catching them and forcing them up or down the length of the blade. If Akio didn’t immediately withdraw his blade as soon as Erwin parried it this would result in the severing of his bone blade. If Akio were to then follow through with whipping his tail at the Samurai’s neck Erwin would proceed to swing low and grind through the tail as close to the base as possible, not caring if it nicked the boys regrown spine in the process, while leaning his torso forward and in the opposite direction of the oncoming tail in order to avoid the flying appendage if it was severed from the boys body. With his wakizashi ready in his left hand should Akio retreat or alter his course of action in response to Erwin’s own, or should Chikara jump in, he would be ready to respond to their next course of action.

[Word Count: 854]
[Total: 8365]
[Chakra: 212.5/250|-15 for C-Rank upkeep]

Technique Sustained:

Technique Activated:

In the middle of his barrage of stabs Akio would be caught by surprise as his Sensei's blade erupted in a blue coating of chakra, forming an extremely sharp field of chakra around the originally already sharp sword. Inevitably his sword would lose a third of it's length. However, as the Chunin would pull back the blade would form a sloped point, leaving it damaged although still able to tab. Having faith in the strength of his tail, which was much thicker then his sword the Chunin would follow through with his attack, grasping the base of the man's sword with just enough of his tail to wrap around the blade once with a little bit of slack whcih he would use to swipe at the man's wrist. At the same time he would lower his right hand and stab downward at an angle toward his Sensei's upper left thigh. All the while channeling chakra into his left index finger, using a jutsu that was not commonly used offensively the Kaguya quickly thrust his chakra engulfed finger toward Erwin's one good eye. If everything when as planned the Jounin before him would be left with no choice, but to withdraw without his sword.

Connecting with the blade the clinking of metal on bone echoed through the training grounds came from the whip like appendage that sprouted from the boy's lower back. Although the bone would seem to be holding up rather well for the moment, something that could only prove consistent by the element of time. Still not noticing Chikara as she left the side of their unconscious teammate. Although that would be no big deal to Akio even if he did see. For the boy seemed to show no signs of waking any tie soon. Still if he were to awake Akio would trust that Chikara would stop him from fleeing, most likely knocking him back out and extending the amount of time the two would have to deal with Erwin.

After taking the swipe at the man's hand with his tail Akio figured he would try more of a brute tactic to try and remove the sword from the Jounin's hand even if his swipe were to land, quickly whipping his tail to the right if the man were to let go of the sword the Chunin's tail would glide over his own arm with sword in hand perhaps even leaving a wound on Erwin in the process however that was just a bonus. On the other hand the Jounin's arm would have to absorb the strength of the tail most likely causing the elbow or shoulder to become dislocated in the process unless the man had some plan to counteract this attack while having to pay attention to the other two attacks. In short the young Kaguya was fighting like his life depending on it acting like a wild animal who had just been cornered by a much larger and more dangerous being.

WC: 496
Total WC: 5,330
Chakra Usage: 120/170

Jutsu Used:

Upon the activation of Erwin’s samurai saber technique Akio was wise enough to hold his blade at an angle when Erwin’s sabre ground through the bone of his blade, allowing for there to still be a sharp enough point to stab with after the sudden downsizing. Something Erwin considered a good sign of instinct or skill, whichever was actually prevalent in the moment, however the young Kaguya’s next course of action didn’t exactly follow the same judgement as his first. As Akio started to whip his tail around in a trajectory Erwin estimated to grab at the base of his sabre the samurai amplified the coating around his blade, extending the length another two feet beyond the tip of his three foot blade and making the coating roughly two inches in thickness at the flat of the blade, quickly chopping down near the base of oncoming spinal column turned tail he aimed to sever the tail as it was extended out to the side mid swing; which would likely result in it flying off to the side.

At least the boy was smart enough to have backup courses of action, should he actually follow through with them after having his tail severed like that, following through with a two fronted attack. The Chuunin’s right hand aimed to stab the remaining bone dagger into Erwin’s left thigh while he launched a chakra infused attack at Erwin’s only good eye with his left index finger, which given the lethality of last attack that came from the boy’s fingertip Erwin considered threatening enough to actually wound his student should it come down to it. It was at this time that his other remaining conscious student lept into action after feigning a relaxed state, who appeared to be running towards Akio’s back out of Erwin’s direct line of sight. Of course the ability to sense over 200 meters just about guaranteed that it was impossible for his students to catch him by surprise, unless one of them happened to be a master of the art capable of hiding their presence from a man as skilled as him.

Regardless it wasn’t advisable for Erwin to remain in the same location, it was time for another tactical retreat. Bringing his Wakizashi around in a forward thrusting motion Erwin aimed to catch and block Akio’s thrusting dagger on the inside, moving it out to his left and away from his thigh as he dashed to the right while ducking to avoid the thrust at his eye, just as Chikara ran up the Chuunin’s back and jumped overhead. He wouldn’t stop there, Erwin would deactivate his samurai saber technique and silently disappear into the mist utilizing the style that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of old were most famous for, silent killing. While doing his Erwin would quickly sheath both of his blades, perform three hand seals (Ram → Snake → Tiger) in quick succession to generate an intangible clone, and send that clone counter-clockwise around his two conscious students towards Katashi, making sure to get the clone close enough for both of them to be able to see its outline but far enough away so they couldn't instantly tell it was a clone as it traveled around them.

As he did so he would go roughly ninety degrees clockwise around his students out of their range of visibility, putting him on the opposite side of Katashi’s unconscious body from the two of them with Chikara closest to him. If his ploy was successful and the outline of the fake Erwin drew the attention of both students the real Erwin wouldn’t waste any time. Quickly and silently approaching Chikara from the rear he would attempt to knee her just below the tail bone, to grant the lift he desired, with enough force to send her flying into the back of her Kaguya partner and maybe even fracture or break her tailbone in the process. All while holding his right hand on the handle of his sheathed Sabre Mark #6 just incase he needed to use Iaido once more. Should his clone not draw the attention of both students away from his location behind Chikara he would simply wait to see what their next course of action would be now that he had the advantage of surprise.

[Word Count: 720]
[Total: 9085]
[Chakra: 212.5/250 | Free turn for upkeep, E-Rank activation is free for A-Rank Character]

Techniques/Styles Used:

Panting heavily Akio would continue to tighten the whip like appendage that was wrapped around Erwin's sword. However, as the bone as severed he would chuckle softly between pants as he launch his secondary attacks. Following through with his assault his attack would be cut short as his Sensei redirected it and to add to it Akio would have to provide the effort to support the impact of Chikara as she ran up his back and launched off of him. The Kaguya would watch his teammate before standing up straight and calming himself. Seeing as his whip had lost a considerable amount of length the Kaguya discarded the weapon, withdrawing it back into his tailbone and focusing his sights on Chikara.

Noticing his Sensei had retreated the Kaguya knew he would have some time to regain his composure. However he would be unable to do so fully. Panting uncontrollably from excitement and shaking with anticipation the Chunin laughed some as he grunted softly and hunched over once again, regrowing an identical copy of the whip Erwin had severed moments ago. With the calcium of the pill still rushing through his body the technique would be simple for the boy to execute once more as his squad mate got back to her feet. Focusing her eyes on Akio before suggesting another course of action that differed from Akio's original plan.

“Akio, how bout next time he comes out, we attack together instead of you doing your own thing,” Nodding softly the berserk look in Akio's one visible eye seemed to recede for the moment as he figured they would need to be more coordinated if they planned on overcoming their Sensei. “Since that didn’t work out so much last time,” Rolling his eyes toward Chikara's snide comment the Kaguya scanned the area quickly before focusing back on Chikara. "I have one more jutsu up my sleeve, but I won't be able to sustain it for long with the chakra I have used already. Also if you could make use of it I could detach this tail and give it." Offering his whip like tail to Chikara the young Kaguya was in the process of deciding if he should showcase his clan's ultimate weapon.

WC: 372
Total: 5,702
Chakra Usage: 117.5/170 (Another 2.5 possible)

Jutsu Used:

It seemed Erwin’s attempt to draw the attention of his students with his clone was a failure, neither of them even noticed the outline of his clone as it made its way to Katashi, so he decided to let the technique dissipate rather than maintain it. For a few moments Chikara seemed to be deep in thought, which would have been an opportune time to strike if Akio wasn’t facing her. Even so the young Kaguya seemed to be panting a bit during that last assault, and even more so afterwards as he absorbed the remnants of his mostly destroyed spinal column tail, although when coupled with his laughter and chakra reserves Erwin suspected fatigue wasn’t the reason for doing so. Without expending much effort or chakra the Chuunin regrew a fresh whip-like tail, whatever pill he had swallowed earlier must be granting him some sort of increased efficiency with his techniques, although whether that meant all techniques or simply all kekkei genkai based ones Erwin did not know.

”Akio, how bout next time he comes out, we attack together instead of you doing your own thing. Since that didn’t work out so much last time.” Erwin listened in from his position just out of visible range behind Chikara. A sound tactic, even if it was spoken in a mocking tone, although one they should have been using from the start. Erwin also noticed that despite Chikara’s diminutive tone Akio seemed to be getting calmer, perhaps their unspoken relationship was a little more developed than simple former teammates, it was a bit more tempered than that. ”I have one more jutsu up my sleeve, but I won’t be able to sustain it for long with the chakra I have used already. Also if you could make use of it I could detach this tail and give it.” Another useful bit of information. Perhaps Erwin could coax this technique out of the Kaguya with a bait and switch, causing Akio to waste his chakra and leaving him, and perhaps both of them, open to attack.

The two of them obviously weren’t complete amateurs, they would likely be able to figure out a clone from the real deal once in close proximity, but that could play to Erwin’s advantage. Forming the three hand seals necessary for the basic clone technique once more (Ram → Snake → Tiger) Erwin set his plan in motion, sending the clone in almost directly towards Chikara with weapons drawn, approaching from just left of Erwin’s actual position. The clone wouldn’t travel at full speed but as if it were sneaking up on the young girl in a slightly crouched state, and given its direction of approach Akio was in the perfect position to see it approaching his partner. With any luck Akio would either attach or notify Chikara to attack, which upon either of them doing so would trigger the clone to disperse. Seeing as they weren’t stupid Erwin figured that at least one of them would deduce that Erwin would actually be attacking from a different direction, using the clone as bait to pull their attention away from the real Erwin.

The truth of the matter was that Erwin was relying on them to think this and act accordingly, he was actually lying in wait further back for them to do just that and grant him the opportunity to strike. If successful and both of them turned their attention elsewhere Erwin would then silently dash forward and attack the nearest of the two from behind. Should the nearest one be Chikara he would proceed with his initial plan to knee her just below the tail bone with enough force to send her flying into Akio. Should the nearest one be Akio and Chikara had taken his tail then Erwin would hit the Kaguya with a forceful frontal kick to the small of the back aiming to send Akio tumbling into Chikara. Should Chikara refuse the offered tail and Akio was still the closer Erwin would use Iaido by drawing his sabre with his right hand coupled with a brief use of the Samurai Saber Technique to provide extra cutting power and aim to sever the tail as close to the base as possible before following through by ramming his left shoulder into Akio’s upper back with the same goal of sending him tumbling into Chikara.

Should Either of them still be facing his direction Erwin would simply remain at a distance and continue with a plan to whittle down their reserves and unbalance them until he saw an opening. He would also likely stop his assault at the severing of the Chuunin’s tail if Akio was the closer one and Erwin had sensed a build up of chakra that matched Akio’s earlier technique which sprouted spikes from various locations on his body.

[Word Count: 733]
[Total: 9818]
[Chakra: 197.5/250 | -15 for C-Rank Upkeep]

Techniques/Styles Maintained:

Technique Used:

Potential Techniques/Styles Used:

“What is this technique that shall dwindle down your chakra reserves,” Asking him about the technique as she took the whip Akio would quickly sprout another one. Although he would not answer his teammate completely, fearing that Erwin would be listening and would have time to think up a way to counter said jutsu. So instead he danced around Chikara's question. "Well it should allow me to bypass his Chakra enhanced blades. That is all I can tell without tipping him off too much. Although we will need to wear him down a bit." While the Chunin did say 'we' he more meant Chikara seeing as he would need the distraction is he hoped to get the upper hand on his Sensei.

“Since using this technique may or may not be such a good idea, but that can’t really be determined at the moment though I am not overly concerned. I know you are quite capable, being Chunin on top of being a Kaguya.” Hearing them last words the Kaguya nodded as he would begin to use his technique. Grunting as he raised his right arm up a bit Akio began to quickly project bones from his shoulder down as they all spiraled to a point that stuck out about a foot from where his hand would be. Chuckling a bit Akio pointed the bone weapon up toward the sky as he admired it for a split second. Turning back to face Chikara he would notice the clone approaching Chikara. Although he would quickly piece it together and did not engage or even warn his partner of the possible threat. Akio figured if it truly was Erwin he would not be so obvious about his approach. Plus he would enact his plan much more quickly, no this was a clone or some kind of illusion. This figure wanted to be seen and it was extremely obvious.

Readying himself for an assault Akio would face his back toward Chikara while holding his large new bone weapon in front of himself at an angle. Allowing him to cover the most surface of his body from any blow that could come at him. While at the same time keeping an eye out for Erwin and readying his tail in case he would need to strike with it. "Nice try, old man!" Akio would say loud enough for the man to hear, but not be a shout. Keeping his guard up Akio would take in to notice the lingering smell of blood and the faint sounds of droplets hitting the ground. While there was no threat toward Akio at the moment the Kaguya was not stupid enough to allow himself to be caught by her techniques once more. He would be evacuating the area at the first sign of her forming any kind of attack from her own blood. However, he would just keep his guard up and hold his ground until such a thing would occur.

WC: 493
Total: 6,195
Chakra Usage: 75/170

Used Techniques:

”What is this technique that shall dwindle down your chakra reserves?” Erwin could hear Chikara ask from his position a slight ways back behind her as she took the whip from Akio, who then regrew another for him to use personally. ”Well it should allow me to bypass his Chakra enhanced blades. That is all I can tell without tipping him off too much. Although we will need to wear him down a bit.” A sound strategy but implemented far too late. With his sensory abilities in full swing Erwin could tell that his Kaguya student would use up his reserves long before he would, although Chikara had barely used anything herself. Perhaps Akio was hoping to force him into using up his reserves to leave him open for Chikara to finish things up. ”Since using this technique may or may not be such a good idea, but that can’t really be determined at the moment though I am not overly concerned. I know you are quite capable, being a Chuunin on top of being a Kaguya.”

Utilizing his skill with sensory techniques Erwin watched on from the mist as Chikara cut open her palm with the spinal-column turned whip and, with the aid of an odd technique, caused her body to rapidly produce blood to pour out from the wound. At the same time Akio was flowing a large amount of chakra into his right arm, causing a large amount of bone to be extruded from the shoulder and spiral down the arm to a point, a perfect time for Erwin to send his clone to sneak up behind Chikara. It seemed Akio was the first to notice the clone, but as expected the young Kaguya figured out the ruse rather quickly. Noticing this Chikara flicked the whip around with her uninjured hand, striking the clone and causing it to dissipate. Almost as if Erwin had choreographed it himself his two students reacted just as he had hoped, Akio turning to face the opposite direction as Chikara moved herself away from him expecting an attack from a different direction.

Erwin was curious as to why Chikara was spreading her blood on the ground as she went but he wouldn’t waste this opportunity. ”Nice try, old man!” The young Kaguya said as he readied himself for an assault from the opposite direction and as he did so Erwin continued on with his initial plan, Chikara being the focus, moving in from the blinding mist to knee her from behind and send her flying into her partner. He held his right hand ready on the handle of his sabre should Chikara swing the whip around in an attempt to strike him but if things went as planned she should wind up colliding with Akio’s back. Erwin also kept his senses on the blood left behind by Chikara, he didn’t know what to expect from her but there was bound to be a reason for her to forcefully bleed herself and spread her blood like that.

[Word Count: 410]
[Total: 10228]
[Chakra: 197.5/250 | Free turn for upkeep]

Techniques Maintained:

Hearing the impact of Erwin's knee and Chikara's back side the Kaguya would turn around and quickly sprawl his body against the ground as she would sail over him. Grinning as he slowly arose from his sprawled position the Kaguya would roll his left shoulder before locking his eyes on his Sensei who stood where Chikara was just a moment ago. Akio would turn to see Chikara engulfed in a crimson red cloud before he turned back to Erwin. "I guess that leaves you and me!" He shouted at his Sensei, taking in the fact that Katashi was surrounded by Chikara's technique and his Sensei would need to save the boy since it would be his idea of a practice that would kill the genin. Thinking quickly and using the slight pause that Erwin's connection with Chikara had made the Kaguya would try his best to reach Erwin before the man were to bolt off again. Although if the man decided to use his skill in Silent Killing the Chunin would not possibly be able to reach him before he was already gone.

Shoving such thoughts from his mind Akio would begin to utilize his new 'toy'. Lunging at Erwin the Chunin would send and overwhelming strike at Erwin's chest, angling it downward so it would hit the Sensei's stomach or legs if he were to move his chest. Simultaneously the shinobi would elongate his spin whip before swinging the weapon toward his Sensei's neck. Also angling the attack downward to accommodate the chances of Erwin ducking. Although, all of these attacks would only be executed if Akio were to be meant by his Sensei on his charge rather then Erwin seemingly disappearing from the battle once more.

All the while unknown to Akio, and possibly Erwin, Chikara would not be sitting ideally. She would be materializing a clone of herself purely out of her own blood. Although even if he knew of the clone Akio would not retreat from the fight. He would have simply tried his best to avoid the clone completely while trying to assist the clone in it's assault of Erwin. However, such a thing could possibly not even happen seeing as Chikara could have different intentions for the clone.

WC: 374
Total: 6,569
Chakra Usage: 75/170 [Free Upkeep Post]

Maintained Jutsu:

((Just to let ya know your math is off a bit from the second to last post Chi, unless you did something to gain 100 you’d have 20 now not 120.))

Success, at least partially, Erwin’s attack on Chikara had landed as planned but Akio proved quick enough to dodge the flying Genin by dropping to the ground as she flew over. He had a quick reaction speed but didn’t seem to care about aiding “flying” allies, at least Chikara easily corrected herself mid air and landed on her feet, even if she did slide back roughly thirteen feet past her partner. ”I guess that leaves you and me!” Akio seemed to more concerned with testing his might against Erwin than the impending cloud of blood mist radiating from his partner, which needless to say was encroaching rather fast. The mist was obviously made of her blood and infused with chakra but what effects it would have on the body, if any, was unknown to him. The unconscious body of Katashi had no chances of escaping the blood mist without aid while Erwin and Akio would need to move rather quickly if they wanted to avoid whatever Chikara had in mind.

Instead of engaging the charging Chuunin Erwin would retreat into the mist once more, there was no need for him to risk exposing himself to the bloody mist Chikara had generated, which seemed to be expanding to a point roughly fifteen meters from her in all directions. While circling around the mist to the far side, the one nearest the unconscious body of Katashi, Erwin kept his focus on avoiding Akio and watching what Chikara was doing inside the mist. It was a bit fuzzy with the amount of chakra in the air due to her mist but from what he could tell she was making a clone of sorts to watch her back.  Whatever this mist did it certainly wasn’t positive, what he could sense of Katashi’s vitals through it indicated minor health problems, but luckily nothing serious as of yet. If this effect was accumulative with time then Erwin would need to rush in and retrieve the boy, having a kid die in a less than orthodox test isn’t exactly good for publicity.

[Word Count: 337]
[Total: 10565]
[Chakra: 182.5/250 | -15 for upkeep]

Techniques Maintained:

(I have nothing valuable to add at the moment, Akio is still on guard and scanning for Erwin)

Chikara seemed to be holding up rather well considering how little chakra she had left, these blood based techniques took a lot of out her. Erwin could only wonder if this was a Kekkei Genkai or a form of jutsu unique to her, either way it was something that set her apart from the average genin. Then again two thirds of this test group were in that category, with Akio being a Kaguya that inherited his clan’s rare ability. With both remaining students running on the last leg of their reserves the test would likely be coming to a halt soon, Akio performed admirably but needed to work on his teamwork while Chikara stayed calm and planned her techniques well but didn’t manage her chakra efficiently. There was work to be done but both of them earned their position in Erwin’s squad, the same couldn’t be said for Katashi who couldn’t even escape a simple choking via scarf.

With Akio maintaining his defensive stance and scanning for Erwin on the other side of the bloody cloud of mist Erwin was free to observe Chikara and the effects of her mist on Katashi from his position just outside of the cloud at the edge nearest Katashi’s unconscious body. Erwin bid his time until Chikara and her clone started to make their way towards Katashi, the mist was already having a negative effect on the boys health, he didn’t need for Chikara to hold Katashi hostage once more to draw him out again. Nonetheless it was about time he put an end to this test. After taking a deep breath Erwin silently plunged into the bloody mist, closing his eye to prevent and of it from getting in that way and relying on his skill in sensory to get him through the mist, with his superior speed he could reach Katashi before Chikara but he would need to hurry.

Just before Chikara and her clone could reach Katashi Erwin scooped the unconscious, and still bound, boy up and draped him over his left shoulder. Using the silence to his advantage he would then aim to place his free right hand on the approaching genin’s shoulder while simultaneously calling off the test. ”That’s enough for now.” He would say in a calm but serious tone with no indication of hostile action. Of course there was always the chance that Chikara could act out of instinct and lash out herself or with the clone so Erwin kept himself on guard. If Chikara stood down Erwin would either wait for her to dissipate the mist before moving on or move to leave the blood mist in the direction of Akio if it turned out she was incapable of doing so. Either way he would call out to the Chuunin once one of those conditions were met, holding his breath until he was free of the mist. ”Stand down, the test is over.”

[Word Count: 485]
[Total: 11050]
[Chakra: 182.5/250 | Free turn for upkeep]

Techniques Maintained: