| abstract | - The heat of the sun was next to brutal. There were no clouds in the sky, not a single shred of evidence that a cold front was coming to the area very soon. Normally, such a day would've been forgiving and contagious of cheer and wonder. After all, the birds didn't seem to pay much heed to the heat, singing songs that could be heard throughout the entire forest. It was the daily melody for any trekker of the forest at this hour of the day. However, for one who was running or exercising, it was nothing but merciless and hindering. At least, it was for the lone hunter-nin and the group of ninja he was so heavily pursuing throughout the canopy. They leaped from branch to branch, attempting desperately to evade their hunter. However, even though his cheeks were a slight pink, and sweat beaded down his face, he still kept at it, determined to catch the rogue criminals and give them their just punishment. Both predator and quarry knew of their roles; if the predator caught them, there would be no trial, only divine punishment by Hell's fires. Under his fingers, they would be so easily crushed, without any consideration for the fact that they were human beings. Such was the job of a hunter-nin - to slay their targets and bring back the heads as proof. Ikado was sleeping not far from there, when a bunch of kunais were trown next to him "HOLY SHIT! WHO THE FUCK DID THAT!?" yelled Ikado freaked out. He then spotted a bunch of ninjas leaping from branch to branch. Despite the light of day, all of them were shadows in the mist that raced throughout the canopy. The pursuing shadow raised his hands up, narrowing his eyes at the running ninja. Despite knowing the position they were in, they apparently forgot one very basic thing about the rules of combat: turning your back on an opponent was a very fatal mistake that only a novice would make. He would only need to spare only one of them; the rest were expendable. He quickly formed the hand seals he needed for the killing blow, before whispering the technique. Several needle like projectiles formed around him, floating with him as he ran after them. Without a moment's hesitation, he raised a finger to point at his hapless targets. With bullet speed, they were fired and unleashed upon all of them. He winced a little as he heard the needles of death connect, tearing through flesh and internal organs. His ears cringed at the screams, and his eyes wavered as he saw their bodies fall to the ground, bones snapping in two upon impact. He never liked performing such gruesome acts, even if these were criminals... but such force was necessarry. He descended towards the fallen group, surveying the damage. Then, he lifted a hand up, materializing a sharp sword made of ice - the perfect weapon for decapitating the leader. He took in a deep breath, walking towards the targeted corpse. "EY, YOU THERE! WERE YOU THE BASTARD THAT THREW THE KUNAIS AT ME!!!!?" yelled Ikado with his face turned red, at the hunter-nin. That was the first thought that came to the hunter-nin's mind, his sword stopping itself from reaching its goal. Both of his eyes widened, one of them squinting slightly. This, along with the downward curve of both corners of his mouth, made to serve a dumbfounded expression as the infuriated voice came to his ears. He craned his head over his shoulder to look at the man behind him. "Um...yes?" He stated, unsure of what to say. For the moment, he dispelled the ice that made up his sword - he probably wouldn't be needing it. "Technically, it wasn't at you..." "What?! Who the hell throws kunais at random!?" "I..." Now the hunter-nin was getting a bit frustrated, unable to complete his sentence. He was almost tempted to slap himself in the forehead to emphasize, but retained his composure. "I did that by accident. My aim was off, and the kunai happened to land somewhere near you." He said in a slightly tense tone. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have work to finish..." Believing the man would leave him be after that, he turned his back on him, readying to materialize the ice guillotine once more. "What... Oh you're a hunter ninja." said Ikado while being enveloped with his Ropes. "Yes I am. What of--" Whatever Senkaku was about to say was abruptly cut off when he looked behind him again. Immediately, he whirled around, body tensed up at the sight of the ropes. "....what are you doing?" He questioned cautiously, readying himself for the worst. He was silently hoping that this man would not raise a hand to attack him; it would make the job more difficult to accomplish, what with having to return to headquarters and all. "Don't worry... I'm not gonna do nothing to you... I just want you to step away from the corpses." says Ikado extremely calm. "These corpses are my business." Senkaku replied, also keeping his voice calm and level to avoid tension. However, his eyes were narrowed, and he was ready to settle into a battle stance at any means necessary. "I'm afraid I'm the one who's going to have to ask you to leave." He took note of the ropes; obviously, this man could utilize summoner techniques. The hunter-nin felt himself to be in the presence of a fellow fighter, but to what extent? "Hmmm.... Interesting." says Ikado while transforming the tips of the ropes into blades. " Will I enjoy this?" asks Ikado to his fellow fighter. ...god damn it. This man did want to fight! "I don't know... that's up to you to decide." The hunter-nin said back, raising his hands up to his sides. Two swords materialized out of thin air, his fingers gripping around the hilt of both weapons. They felt cold to the touch; a feeling he had grown used to. He settled into a stands, swords raised defensively. A scowl fitted his face, and adrenaline began to pump itself through his body. "Don't know... Will you be strong or weak?" "You gonna fight me or not? I don't have all day." The hunter-nin was getting a little impatient with the man's words. "If you want to find out, go on and attack, already!" He egged on. Sure, he was being a little pushy, but this guy was interfering with his line of work! Decapitations weren't something he was fond of, and he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "I have alllllllll day to do anything I want." says Ikado obviously mocking the fellow fighter. A huff came from the shinobi, but he simply turned away from the fighter. The guy was starting to grate on his nerves... if he didn't wish to fight, then he didn't care. Though, he was a little furious that he got worked up over nothing. "Fine, then. I don't have time for this." He stated tersely, raising his blade in the air in order to ready the guillotine once more. "Lalalala.... uhhh look at me I'm an hunter ninja, blah!" now mocking beyond words. "Ignore him...." He stubbornly told himself, feeling the corners of his eyes twitching. Without hesitation, he swung the blade down, cutting through the entirety of the neck and removing the head from the body in one smooth stroke. Some of the blood that was shed spilled onto him as well, making him grimace. He could've simply taken the body as proof of the leader's death, but that would've required more weight to be carried around. This way, he could spare himself the trouble of breaking his back. "You want to ignore me? You cannot ignore me I'm far too annoiyng to be ignored." "I have a lot of patience...." The hunter-nin said in monotone, lowering himself to pick up the head. He shrugged off the pack he was carrying, tossing the head inside before quickly shutting re-zipping it and fitting the pack back on. He turned back towards Ikado. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way." "No you're not." with a hand seal Ikado wraps the hunter nin in ropes with no espace for movement. "...." This time, Senkaku allowed himself to level an annoyed glare at the man, eyes wavering. "God, you are fucking ridiculous..." He growled, not bothering to move himself out of the ropes. "You claim to want a fight, but all you do is talk. What do you really want from me, you punk?!" Once again, his body heightened itself, but this time out of fury, and a newfound desire to tear the hinderance into shreds. "I want that head, that's all." "...what?" A disgusted look came over Senkaku's face. "What could you possibly want with a decapitated head?" He demanded, not sounding too pleased about the revelation. "It's decapitated? Ewwwwww, you keep it." Says Ikado while tightening the ropes. " I want your head, dumbass." Instinctively, Senkaku closed his eyes a little, the ropes becoming quite uncomfortable. But, mentally, he did feel kind of stupid. What would he need with a cut-off head, anyway? In any case, the hunter-nin gave a look of superiority towards Ikado, though the scowl still fitted his countenance. "You want it, but you sure as hell aren't getting it." He countered. "Tell me one thing and then I'll release you." "I don't need you to release me." With that, the color of the ropes binding the hunter-nin slowly turned a pale blue. Senkaku closed his eyes for a moment, before gritting his teeth and letting out a grunt. With a thrust of his arms, he shattered the frozen bindings, the shards clinking to the ground around him. Senkaku glowered at Ikado as he dusted himself off. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit arrogant at breaking down the pitiful attempt to capture him. "Hmm, frozen shard bullets. Not very smart." the shards then exploded in a medium size blast sending shards at all directions "Uh i better get to cover. Summoning Technique: Englobing Ropes!" Ikado then gets enveloped in ropes protecting him against the shards. Senkaku didn't have to do much. Before they could even come in contact with him, they stopped, floating in mid-air. A smirk crossed his face, and he raced his hands out to his sides once again. The ice shards formed together, once again forming the deadly sword blades he used time and time again. His eyes drifted towards the defense that Ikado had made, an entire bundle of ropes that were nothing but prey to his sharpened killing edges. Oh, he was going to have so much fun with this... He lunged forward, swinging one of those blades and cutting through the entire section of ropes. When he leaped back, the halves fell apart. "You're going to have to do better than ropes, you bastard." He said tauntingly. "Not fast enough. Summoning Technique: Rope Whip!" the ropes that Senkaku torn apart began reataching together and forming a whip. They then started whipping across Senkaku's body. This was no problem to Senkaku. His time and training as a shinobi, as well as his experience as a hunter-nin, allowed him to deal with such threats against his life. His reflexes were enough to catch up with the rope's strikes, and thus, his blades were easily able to cut through them when they neared his body. His eyes were narrowed in concentration, and his feet moved in a coordinated manner. "Ops... boom again." the ropes then exploded in a massive blast. He really had to thank his opponent for his rather big mouth. He managed to clear himself away from their explosive range just before they...well...combusted. When he landed on his feet, he de-materialized his swords and lowered his arms, looking around. At least he got an idea of the man's techniques; at any time, and at the user's will, the ropes could be blown up when their hapless victim was too near them. It was quite an annoying way of fighting... but at least, his ice-type abilities could counter it. Now, all he had to do was find the opponent himself, who seemed to be hiding. "Where are you..." Senkaku thought, his eyes looking around carefully. Ey I'm here... and here... and here... and here... etc." 12 Ikado were moving around at astoudashing speed while throwing shurikens. Not having the time to perform a counter-jutsu, Senkaku opted to simply evading the attacks. A side-step there, and jump here, and a flip there: it was all that was needed to avoid the oncoming shuriken. A few managed to scrape him, but other than that, he came out rather unscathed from it. While he "danced", he executed four hand seals that would summon his own defense. "Ice Release: Avalanche Defense." He whispered. Almost immediately, the snow appeared around him, swirling and awating his mental orders. "Finaly! Wind Release: Hurricane Palm!" all the Ikados sent their Hurrican Palm against Senkaku "Wind Release: Ciclone Palm" Why did this man act like he knew that the hunter-nin was going to perform such a jutsu? It didn't matter. He would face the ground soon enough. Senkaku's eyes closed in concentration on the snow he was manipulating. Hidden in the mass, a number of ice daggers hardened and formed themselves, poised and ready to strike. When the Ikados were in range, there was no hesitation. He thrust his arms out, sending the daggers at point-blank range at all of the surrounding clones. If they were Shadow Clones, whatever. If they were after-images, then the real Ikado would be hiding among them. Ikado apears behind Senkaku, empaling him in the back with his Katana. Pain shot through him, and he let out a gasp as the sword so brutally stabbed him. A wild look overcame him, and his heart raced violently at the overwhelming sensation that shot through his nervous system. Exhaling out a pained breath, he reached down and gripped the sword with one hand, ignoring the sting of the killing edge that cut through his palm. His eyes narrowed dangerously, as he looked behind him. Big mistake. With the power of his Kekkei Genkai, he sent a current of his cold chakra through the blade, through him, and to the man that had dared to strike him. The chakra, once it tore through his opponent's arm, immediately tore the body temerature away from it. It lost its pigments, turning a purplish color. All of the nerves within had been killed instantly, and the entire sword arm was now immobile. But Senkaku continued to push his chakra through his opponent's body, sending even more of Ikado's body into a hypothermic coma. If he didn't remove or let go of his sword, he would be nothing but a frozen corpse... Big mistake Ikado is revealed to be a shadow clone, while other apeears in front of Senkaku Empaling him in the chest. This time, Senkaku was ready. Using both of his hands to press against the flat edges of the katana, Senkaku stopped the blade before it could cut through his heart. "You are a real pain in the ass!" He snarled, raising his foot to forcefully kick the man away from him. Substitution? Only cowards used that! Still... it allowed Ikado to get a blow on him. He pressed a hand to his chest, blood seeping through the wound that he had been dealt. With his chakra, he managed to freeze the wound, putting it in a sort of "cryostasis". For now, it was healed, the bleeding stopped. But it still hurt like hell, the man having missed his vital point by a milimeter. "Sorry wrong again." the Ikado then turned to smoke, and ANOTHER Ikado appeared behind putting his hand on the frozen wound. "DISPELL!" the Ikado then turned to fire, burning Senkaku and melting the frozen wound. "That's enough!" Senkaku snapped, leaping away before the clone's flames could burn him. He landed in a crouched position, standing back up. "I know what will get you to come out!" Feeling that there was no other choice in the matter, as well as eagerness to slay this man, he executed another four hand seals before stopping at the Dog seal. "Ice Release: Cold Front!" His body began to glow a faint blue, and his hands were clasped together tightly. It wasn't long, before the climate around the two started to change; temperatures began to drop, and snow and winds began to dominate the landscape. Not even substitution would save him from the very breath of the Ice God itself. It's gettin chilly... time to turn up the heat (in chorus)! Fire Release: Fire Bullet Technique!" 9 Ikados came out of their hideouts and shot the fire balls continuosly" Fire Release: Fire God Barrage!" As soon as the fireballs came from their mouths, they isntantly vanished into the thick cold that was sweeping among them. It was no use; the winds were putting out the fires much too quickly. It was the equivalent of attempting to start a campfire in such a blizzard; pointless. The user himself, one one hand and one knee in a kneeling position, was breathing a little shakily. Due to him being an ice user, it was typical for him to endure such temperatures. But he knew that even he had a limit. For now, he could only rely on the cold wearing out his opponent to an early demise. But he needed to think of a plan.... and fast. "Uh Uh Uh... its geeting hard... to breathe." Ikado kneels down, not after throwing a kunai that failed to land a hit. " Damn..." Throughout the chakra that he was using to maintain the storm, Senkaku felt the pained movement made by Ikado. His mouth curled up into a pained smile, and he started to shuffle towards the location where Ikado was kneeling. As he got closer, he could feel the chakra signature get closer, and soon, he was within voice range of the man. "I really didn't want to use this, but you gave me no other choice." He said lowly, stepping closer and closer to his opponent. "Now you're weak, frozen to the bone with nothing to save you. I give you one last chance... surrender. Now." "Please... just... DIE!" in a swift movement Ikado pierced his opponents chest with his Katana going completely trough Senkaku. " Neat jutsu... but you should watch where you step." Ikado says while pointing down to reveal a summoning mark, he pointed backwards too to show another one. "...what a pain." It was not from the chest that the new found blood was dripping, but rather the palm of Senkaku's hand that the sword and torn through. "This is my world, you punk." He spat. "And those who aren't fitted with the bleakness of winter cannot see to fight against those who can. All of those clones you made, as well as that summoning mark, drained your chakra to the point where you can't even stand straight anymore. I gave you a chance to surrender..." He squeezed the frozen blade, shattering it into pieces. "Now I'm going to let you die here. Not even your cowardly methods are going to save you this time..." "I'm sick of you!" Ikado put his hand on Senkaku's face " Wind Release: Hurricane Palm!" Senkaku promptly grabbed the hand that dared to grasp his countenance and twist it, snapping the wrist. Pulling the arm to his side, he raised a hand, shaped the fingers like a dagger, and aimed for Ikado's chest. With his palm emveloped in the freezing ice, he plunged straight into the center, the hot blood freezing upon contact with the air. "The feeling's mutual..." He stated venemously, pushing his chakra into his opponent. It didn't take long, before nearly all of Ikado's body was dead and numbed to the bone - a punishment for his cockiness. He ripped his hand out and let Ikado fall to the ground. "There was an old saying that another said to their beaten opponent..." Senkaku remarked, turning his back to Ikado and walking off. "If you can still move, then get up and leave this area. If not, then die there, alone... either way, your journey ends here." "Ok... you win, but.. check your back" Ikado then summons his ropes and goes away on top. "EXPLODE!" They didn't go off, for the aura of the storm had already frozen them entirely. Senkaku smiled as he walked away, the storm slowly fading. He would think twice before messing with this ice demon again...
|
