Kaname came hurtling towards the strange man, flanking him with Sakumo on the other side. He turned around, his eye focused on her movements as she went to graze his touch. Almost in slow motion, his bizarre eye changed colors... matching the patterns of a Koi fish as it followed the shinai, abandoned it, and then went to scan the movements of the kunoichi's hand.<br/><br/>He ducked low, easily avoiding what was only to be a gentle touch. The enemy ninja brought his hand back as before, fingers pointed dangerously. Marise recognized it as the way one would hold a chakra scalpel. But his fingers, sharp and metallic as they were... would require no effort to pierce flesh.<br/><br/>"Kaname! Look out!" Sakumo shouted, departing from his spot on the tree and leaping towards her. Hands outstretched, he hurtled towards her from above ready to push her off the log and into the relative safety of the foliage below. The enemy, seeing this, brought both hands to his sword and prepared a strong diagonal swing as his foe passed overhead.<br/><br/>Just after the demon hunter had pushed Kaname out of the way, their opponent's cut began to carve its way through Sakumo's flesh. The blade's electrical edge first made contact just above Sakumo's hip. As he passed overhead, it cut diagonally beneath his navel and then to his thigh. Only by a few inches was the Konoha shinobi spared a very sudden castration.<br/><br/>Kaname landed softly a few feet away, Sakumo overtop her as he crumpled in her arms. He regained his composure in the blink of an eye and rolled off of her to keep his eyes on the enemy. The cut was deep... The kunoichi had felt the man's strength before; how he made even such a little knife feel as if she'd been struck by a full blade. A weapon like that, however...<br/><br/>The wound was grievous, extending from one side of his body to the other. The cloaked man pointed at him as he approached, "Your chakra blade will make a fine addition to my<em>collection.</em>"<br/><br/>It was not long before the cloaked man was upon him, lifting his leg up into the air and dropping it suddenly. It seemed that he had finger-like dexterity even with his toes.... The metallic foot landed square on Sakumo's face, his heel and toe claws clenching together to constrict the ninja and crush his skull. He began to lift his leg, bringing Sakumo up off the ground with it.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Sakumo does a gravity-assisted bull rush on Kaname!<br/>Ryoichi AoO's Sakumo. 16+Mods... it's a hit.<br/>Ryoichi's 25% to accidentily hit Kaname instead; success?<br/>Damage; 19<br/>Sakumo falls prone.<br/>Ryoichi SLAMs Sakumo with Tetsuhaji! 31... hit!<br/>Sakumo's Fort Save: 21.... Ut oh.<br/>Damage; 38!<br/>Grapple: 38 vs 22<br/>Sakumo and Ryoichi are grappling!<br/>Neither of them can move or make AoOs. Both are denied dex bonuses to anyone but eachother.<br/></div></div><br/><hr/><br/>The man had underestimated Tashi... The young swordsman was full of suprises, but for as long as he remained quiet it wouldn't be an issue to conserve his strength against him. The youth even resisted his string trick. It made him almost smile, sardonic as he narrowed his weather-worn eyes.<br/><br/>When he sheathed his blade, the intruder seemed to know what was about to come. He lowered his stance and girded himself for the onslaught. The sound struck like a great thunderclap, shattering windows and echoing through the cramped town to the very walls. The rest of the Guards knew of Tashi's technique; it was as much a means to incapasitate as it was to signal. And the signal could not be misconstrued.<br/><br/>...<br/><br/>Elsewhere, atop the covers of a bed strewn with spent 'toys', Suzume lifted her head from between Jun's legs, her hands still clutching the wolf kunoichi's thighs. Her lips and chin were more than a little<em>slathered</em>as the two ninja enjoyed eachother's company through the night. "What was that?" She asked, the noise like thunder still echoing through the valley.<br/><br/>...<br/><br/>Opposite Tashi, the enemy shinobi took a step back and gritted his teeth, some damage was done... but not enough, it seemed. He remained in composure, his expression and stance as focused as it would be in any precision task.<br/><br/>"You owe everything to your body... your eyes. It may very well be a suitable 'host.'" He said, taking something out of his pack and sticking it in his mouth. It was a device that was rare in Tanigakure, but rapidly coming into use throughout Konoha's medical corps. A metal device in which liquid was held; one end was a hollow needle and the other end a piston button. He spat out the cap, revealing the needle. He lifted his other arm up and injected the substance into himself before discarding the archaic syringe, "But<em>I</em>won't spare you."<br/><br/>He took a few steps forward, weaving side to side to judge Tashi's movements before lifting the youth's arm up and spinning beneath it. Behind him now, the ninja brought his fingers up to Tashi's neck, pinching the back of it as his other hand descended towards the youth's forehead with two outstretched fingers, sliding underneath the top of the mask.<br/><br/>Tashi felt his body beginning to seize...<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu - Ryu Mei Sen allows a Fort Save to halve damage, to avoid being stunned, and to avoid the listen penalty.<br/>(Rolled in AIM, ask Shadow or Muse :P)<br/>Fort Save vs. Damage; 17+Mods; Success. 6 sonic damage. <br/>Fort Save vs. Stun; 20+Mods; Success<br/>Fort Save vs. Listen; 3+Mods; Failure<br/>Taijutsu Identify vs. 20; 9+Mods; Success<br/><br/>Shiro takes an Adrenaline Boost as a move action<br/>5-foot step into Melee<br/>Melee touch attack; 23; Hit!<br/>Tenketsu Freeze Fortitude DC: 19<br/>I think you've got one action point left. :P</div></div>