The End of it All (Village Destruction)

The explosion made Ayato worry for a minute for his comrades, and he flew toward them, back on the titan's head. The Hogokage's worry soon dissipated when his Byakugan noticed a ghostly hound appear inside the explosion, eating the nature chakra away. "You truly are cool, Akabayashi." The Kage thought, without the necessity to turn his head to face his former Nova partner next to him, to who the jutsu trailed back. Yamato used a technique to absorb the attack and then run the edge of his retractable katana through Ibari's skull. Even at this distance, the smell of blood was so strong that someone could taste it. 

The enemies undoubtedly anticipated a long battle of attrition, trusting in their legendary armors and eyes. But those did not last long. In a short, brutal fight, the invaders were butchered—all except one, Souji Hyuuga, who was making a run for it. With the bit of time that his comrade had tried to buy for him. 

"Half of Suna is half-mad, and the other half are worse." The Kage thought. "But even they do things for the sake of their comrades."  Now that the battle was over, it would not be the most excellent look for the Nova Corps if its oldest living member lynched a kid for all the world to see, especially if that kid had the Kage's name and blood. Akabayashi shared no such romantic notions, and the vulture was not so sitting idle when he smelled said blood. They all became body parts to him when the battle began. 

"You only have one eye. How blind can you be?" The Byakugan heir thought with a sigh. The thing of shinobi brutality was that Ayato used it as a means of necessity, not as a source of cruel satisfaction gained from the torture or death of his enemies. The Hyuuga did the handseals for Talos clone with one hand, and Wild Hunt, a flock of ravens, spreading around him like a midnight sea blocking the Terumi's path to Souji. "Run." The Kage demanded of Souji with a knowing look, a sad smile across his lips. 

At the same time, the flock of ravens lowered the clone to the ground, forming a solid platform underneath their feet. The replica was summoned with a white haori over a black robe, tied with a purple sash to the waist. It was as acceptable as the garment it lacked compared to Ayato's legendary armor that no clone technique could duplicate.

The real Kage threw three corpse storage scrolls, and the clone caught them. He walked beside Yamato. "Always the wordsmith." The underdog had captured the fallen bodies. Keita's was the most damaged by far, more charcoal than man. Natsuki and Doctor T would spend quite adequate time in the lab to separate what was left of him from those robes. Talos Ayato laid the scrolls on the ground, unrolling them to reveal a kanji series. The clone sealed the three bodies in the scrolls alongside their equipment. "Hope you can smith just as well with your hammer. That armor and the gauntlets, can you reforge them?" 

Further away, unless interrupted, the Kage would proceed to summon Loghain and Fu to his side once he reached the hard-packed earth. He didn't do a superhero landing. That would have been not good on his knees.

"The battle is over. We have won." He declared proudly, yet his face and eyes betrayed no emotion. His gaze focused on the Kunoichi hailing from the distant land of Takigakure. "Fu, I'm impressed. You didn't buckle down under the weight of the image of invincibility of our adversaries." Then Ayato turned to the werewolf, who was heartbroken to report he didn't find all that strange interacting with one. "Sebastian, being a hero is not about being able to fly or shoot lasers out of your hand. It's for anyone willing to do what's right. No matter the cost." 

The Hogokage's white wings of Nature chakra began to disappear as his arms remained hooved in the sleeves of his robe. "They say a tremendous honor in Heaven for a man or woman to be knighted in battle. We are ninjas, but I'd like to honor the tradition of our hosts. You are both promoted to Jounin of Hoshigakure."

WC: 708

War... war never changes. 

One was escaping... the wolf considered for a brief moment where he should focus his efforts. The fleeing enemy was descending, and Loghain figured that if they had the capability of flight like the other seemed to generate they would have utilized such here. It might have been an incorrect assessment, but he was only thinking of what he would have done in a similar situation if the sides were flipped. A descending opponent was exactly what he had been waiting for. He would decide to follow the Escapee, since he held a great desire to bring the fight more into his preferred terms. The battle ready wolf could not help but scan the battlefield, gazing upon what he imagined to be the climax of this battle. Two of the invading force already lie motionless, death overtaking them swiftly and it would seem as though the remaining forces were aiming to complete one last hail Mary, or at least one of them had thought as much. One of the remaining two would morph his body haphazardly, generating what appeared to be vents of some sort. Such complete body modification... how strange it was to be on the other side of such, witnessing it as opposed to being the one doing it. The being would charge a large mass of chakra, no doubt the intention to fire it directly at the defending team, all the while the other fled. Perhaps the one was hoping to buy time to escape for the other? If that was the case, Loghain would silently nod, respecting the actions of their adversaries. In battle and in life, one must learn to adapt quickly and move with the ebbs and flows of the conflict. Seeing that they had already lost half of their invading force, morale must have been at an all time low. Yet still, focus was on salvaging what they could and allowing one of their members the opportunity to escape. Truly it was remarkable.

The floating Sandman moved away from the cliffs, aiming to get closer to the others to lob his final attack. The force of the attack was immense, the hum of energy filling the otherwise quiet battlefield as it fired from the Sandman. One could easily find such a technique to be expected to be a simple beam of energy much like those fired from the wooden titans littering the field, yet with a simple shift of his focus, the energy projectile could explode, expanding outwards in all directions. Luckily the dashing wolf was too far away to need to be concerned with the attack, but with a quick glance over at the event it would seem as if the enemy miscalculated. They would end up catching themselves in the explosion at the rate it would be expanding, only to quickly be drawn into the defensive measures of Yamato who would then launch an attack of his own, aiming to intercept the falling Sandman and aiming to pierce him through the skull with a blade comprised of what could only be described as a construct that must have been chakra since there was no chance of such a technique being utilized without such magical origins. If the attack connected as intended, there was no doubt that the Sandman would have been dead. Everyone present knew just how fragile human's were...

While this was happening between the Sandman and the defenders, the wolf was of course far more focused on the other one. The Sandman had made it clear that his focus was the others, leaving the wolf to do as he pleased without much concern. The other target was fleeing quite quickly, their speed on par with that of the wolf, something that he truly did not expect. Luckily, the falling rocks that the Escapee was using weren't positioned in such a way for him to descend in a perfect line, various small changes in elevation here and there adding up over the course of the intended descent. The wolf was aiming to give proper chase, easily finding himself able to build speed as he wove through the falling debris both still coming down and what had already fallen. Luckily enough, there was a relatively clear path and keeping sight on the escaping Hyuuga was far from a difficult feat for one with such keen senses. Even if they managed to turn around the corner of the plateau, the wolf knew the lands outside of Hoshi quite well and knew that there was nowhere to hide there. It was simply a long stretch of open space following along the cliffside rock formation. 

He would find that even with the Escapee being ever so slightly faster, he was able to keep up and still yet he could tap into the inner beast to speed up even more and throw away all of his inhibitions and current physical limitations. Seeing his opponent slowly gain ground, he was just about to transform before a word from his Hogokage distracted him, causing him to shift his focus back to see that the battle was one. 

Why would Ayato call off his hound before it caught its prey? Puzzled, Loghain would halt his pursuit and make his way to the kage as ordered. 

The words of the man rang in the ears of the wolf. He indeed didn't seem to have the same fancy techniques as the others, his own faults clear to him as day. If it had been a close quarters fight or a slugfest the wolf would have thrived and been far more able to showcase what he could do. Still, Lord Hogokage declared the wolf would now be a Jounin of Hoshigakure along with Fu. 

Loghain would kneel, "You honor me more than deserved, Lord Hogokage." He would then look up at the man who had just granted him such a prestigious title, the thrill of the hunt pulsing within him and a question burning its way from the wolf's mind to his mouth. "If only granted a few more moments, this would have been a complete and total success. I know that I could have caught the escapee, and with your permission I will hunt him down in the borders."


wc:1043
twc:2226

From atop of the wooden golem, Fu watched as the remaining assailant fled. She didn’t bother to move from her position for the number of her comrades currently involved in the remaining assault would surely be enough and she didn’t want to get in the way and accidentally get caught in one of their attacks. Following an explosion, the Hogokage would return to her, landing near where Fu was currently waiting. Despite what appeared to be a favorable outcome, Fu remained silent, so still that maybe the others would forget that she was there. She examined Ayato’s face out of the corner of her eyes, trying not to draw attention to herself. She thought there was a look of apprehension in the man’s face which she thought was strange for he had not shown mercy in the past towards invaders and criminals alike- although he did spare her from rotting in a jail cell. Akabayashi on the other hand, was different. Fu didn’t sense any such feelings from him, but instead, felt his blood lust, which caused the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle. Fu would have never thought a village such as the one she now belonged too, would be comprised of such strong individuals.
 
Fu’s suspicions were confirmed when the Hogokage summoned flock of ravens to form a barrier between Akabayashi and the escapee. Fu wondered why he would do such a thing. She agreed, a 5 on 1 fight wouldn’t be very fair, but they did attack the village after all? Wouldn’t it have been lucrative to apprehend him so that they could question their motives instead of killing him or just letting him run off? Her train of thought was derailed when the clone that Ayato had summoned began their decent on a flock of crows to the ground floor where those who were unlucky enough to die, now laid sprawled out and motionless, their bodies appeared to be cemented due the ground due to the fall.
 
Now that the final assailant had disappeared beyond the flock of crows and was no longer in sight, Fu followed Ayato’s lead and returned once more to the Earth’s surface via her magnetic flight technique. The Hogokage declared to Fu and The Hound that the battle was over and that they had one, although there was no look of celebration on either of the two’s faces. Fu on the other hand did not appear as uninterested as the rest. “Well, that was easy!” She said, in her normal cheery voice. Now that the fight was over, Fu could return to her chipper demeanor for her comrades, nor herself, had sustained any injuries. “Don’t worry Hound man, I’ll help you chase them down later.” Despite her confidence, Fu’s self-proclaimed title as a hunter did not typically indicate chasing down men.
 
The Hogokage would then commemorate both The Hound’s and Fu’s efforts in today’s battle and rewarded them with the rank of Jounin. There were now stars in her eyes and Fu was drawing uncomfortably close to Ayato, almost penetrating his personal space. “Really!? You really mean it?” and then she attempted to fling her arms around him, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I promise I won’t let you down!” If the hugging occurred, it would only last a few seconds for the burst of excitement for winning the battle and being promoted would subside at the thought of her smothering her Kage. “S-sorry about that, I get a little carried away sometimes.” She would say sheepishly, backing up several steps from him. The question as to why Ayato had let the man fled was still lingering in her mind, but she spared the Kage from any more intrusions for the time being.

Kaze, one of the two personas that Souji possessed would keep an aware eye on the defenders of the village. Sucking his teeth as he notice he was about to be pursed by the one that hindered Ibari’s sacrifice, as well as being chased by the one that stayed to the ground. He feared that he would have to resort to actually fighting these guys. But, to his surprise, Ayato intervened. Stopping them in their tracks and yelling out to him with a sad smile to run. Kaze, the persona of Souji that retained all that Souji did not know about. Would return the same sad smile. As he knew exactly who Ayato was… 

Reaching into his person for an item as he finally made off from the group. In the midst of him pulling it out he would drop a single photo from his person accidentally. A photo of a woman, that shared the same features as him…as well as Ayato. 

Ayato knew little about his father. If only he knew of what Kaze retained hearing from his “father”. The hate that that man possess for Souji merely fanned from the hate that he had for Ayato’s father. This photo would be the piece to the puzzle that connects why. 

Why didn’t Souji attack during the invasion? Why did he merely stand as a guide and support for scouting. Why would someone with the means to cancel out and overpower such a beam merely resort to standing and watching. Ayato and Souji both shared similar aesthetics, fighting styles, tactics and poise. Why was that?

Photo of Souji’s mother:

[Exit Successfully due to no intervening - Souji escaped from destruction topic.]

Will make claims in terms of WC later.

Before the suicide bomber even began to fall from the sky, Ayato had already surged his chakra and a flock of birds interrupted the Terumi's path. At first the Nova thought there was some danger he was unaware of. That thought immediately dissapeared as Akabayashi continued forward when Ayato not facing the defending team, but their attackers shouted run at the hyuuga 50m below them. Has he lost his fucking mind? The Nova thought looking at the back of the fleeing attacker recognition and bits and pieces of rumor flooded Akabayashi's mind.

"Dusk!" The Terumi called looking for his fellow Nova. "Is that one running not the kage's cousin? The one people heard you calling for at the gates when leaving the chuunin exam?" Whether Ayato or the rest of the group heard this as the masked beast lowered the Terumi to the ground was irrelevant. The kage defending their attacker, because of their relation was infuriating.

As Loghain knelt and told the kage he honors him the Nova with fury would tell the wolf to rise. "He does not honor you with this it is a distraction to let his kin flee. As I went to chase he told the bastard to run. It wasn't the work of genjutsu I would see the effect on your chakra network with my sharingan. Whether he is kin or an associate we will look into this." He would tell the kage directly before absorbing the mask back into his body.

"Before you seal those bodies Miyamoto let me check something." Walking over to the corpses the Nova would look them over. He was quite familiar with one of them. "I know this one. This is the Mizukage. He was here during the chuunin exams in a disguise along with a body guard. This burnt corpse is roughly the same size, but I can't make out any detail with burns that bad." It would seem the Mizukage had also discovered the source of the purple six ringed eye. 

Taking out the drawing illustrated by Kizmaru he would pass it to Ayato. "I will require that back as with his passing the artist's drawing has just increased in value, but he asked me to look into this. After the kage summit someone attacked him bearing this eye. After talking to an Uchiha named Taichi I theorized it was an evolved sharingan and I believe my theory was correct.  As he was suffering from Sharingan blindness and now has this strange eye." It was not unusual, but the doctor forgot his anger in the joy of his discovery.

"Seal them please we have much work to do." The Terumi would say. Hoping Dusk knew to take a different approach than direct confrontation. At least the applauding crowd was nowhere near to hear their squabble.

When he landed one of Ayato’s colleagues approached with three corpse sealing scrolls, the last of the invaders had escaped…a pity, but there was nothing that could be done about it…for now. As he placed the bodies down one by one, he was smeared with viscera and the blood of his variously destroyed enemies of the village. Ayato made a quip that he was a wordsmith but this invasion brought about a change and an old spark was ignited, only to hear his name…Miyamoto…be called by his elder Akabayashi. This brought him back to reality as the doctor came up and began to look over one of the bodies and then with a scroll. The other two who were given new ranks would have heard his name being called…not just any name…especially for Sebastian as he would have likely heard about Miyamoto Terumi from his father, or maybe even the rumors of him being a traitor in the first place were brought forward. Regardless…The Terumi masquerading as Senju just remained silent as he was still coming up with answers to his own thoughts, he caught a glimpse of the scroll Akabayshi was holding and he saw the rings…The Rinnegan.

His chakra flared as he heard Ayato speak of reforging or repairing some of the things left behind and Yamato blinked and came back to the conversation. “I believe I can, for now we should probably reconvene at a later point Kage. There are…many things to discuss I am sure. Akabayashi…when this is over I would like to speak with you as well.” He said as he waited for the corpses to be sealed away and for the dismissal so he could walk back to the village proper and go take a shower…this was not a long engagement, but there was a lot that happened…and more importantly…he now has a glimpse of the power that can be used to restore Amegakure…


WC:320
TWC: 2,293

Exiting

Claiming
A Power Rank for killing Ibari an A Rank shinobi

Debuff Bolt 1,125
Cero 1,125

Both at B rank for 2,250 with my 25% max stat discount

Approved for Yamato and Souji

"You must be mistaking me for that witless oaf Harold Greymane," Dusk responded to the Terumi firmly. His gatekeeping was far behind him at that point of reference. They ended as the Great Chuunin exams began, with Waz Goka's head rolling in the dirt.

"You mourn the loss of your prey a bit too hard, Vulture. A half-blind genin would hardly be an outstanding opponent for you to showcase your combat repertoire against." Without uttering another word, Dusk made his way toward Souji's last location in the field. The Nova's chakra sensory flaring and picked up something that the invader dropped, studying momentarily before putting it away.

The Nova rested his knightly buttcheeks on the back of a broken wooden hand and looked down as the Kage summoned everyone on his side. Dusk is temporarily a spectator in a historic moment. Axwell Florent's pup knelt at the news of his promotion with a silent request to follow the trail whenever the Hyuuga brat went. To which Ayato approved with a nod. It wouldn't have been Kage like to refuse his Jounin's first request.

"Follow him no further than the border, Seb; stay close to him but do not engage. Byakugan has an omnidirectional vision of a hundred meters, ideal in retreat. Find out how he and the lot of them got here."

On the other hand, Fu was far more expressive in her reactions to her promotion, hugging the stoic Ayato in the act of intimacy and affection. "You're embarrassing me in front of my Nova." The Kage said with a half-smile. Dusk knew the taijutsu expert had always been uncomfortable around women, but to his credit, he hid it with a jest.  

The mood was great, and everyone seemed happy except the party pooper. Akabayashi landed with a thud, the weight of his thread monster being absorbed back into his body. Akabayashi used the word distraction, nearly undermining the once-in-a-lifetime moment of the underdog being rewarded for their bravery in battle.

"Maybe you got it right, Oldboy," The Kage replied mildly, looking at Akabayashi. "I've grown sentimental in my years and spared that kid's life. Then again, it might be because Dusk is tracking the chakra signature globally with Mayfly, and I mean for him to lead us straight to his base of operations. I said the battle is over, not the war.”

Then Akabyashi moved towards Ayato's clone and Yamato, who were bagging the bodies. The Nova even referred to Yamato by the name of a dead man. Intentional or not, the Kage could not tell. His ravens made a cawing sound in unison, keeping the name out of the earshot of the rest of the band. The Vulture then frisked the pockets of Aloide and magicked up a letter, and announced him as the Second Mizukage. 

“I know all too well who that was. The Ninja world has not missed anybody that Hoshi has buried. Six ringed eyes or not." He purposely left out the name of the Rinnegan. Akabayashi was a very resourceful ninja and was close to unlocking the secret through his research. And Ayato did not intend to make his path easier. At least currently.

Talos Clone Ayato sealed the bodies and then gave the scrolls to the original. The Kage signaled his forces to return to the village, except for Seb, who had his task. Dusk would find the opportunity to speak up along the way, always staying between Akabyashi and Ayato. "Lord Hogokage, a moment of your time. The kid dropped this." The Nova reached for his pocket and pulled out a photograph. Ayato's misty eyes widened in recognition. 

"This person in the photograph, I take it you knew her. Who is she?"
"She was a good woman." The Kage replied, so sadly. "Like Akihana."

WC: 603
TWC: 3387

Claims

Spoiler:

Approved