"Not just your palm." Tarui extended her hands again, the lightning and electricity flickering back towards her fingertips. She flattened her hand, forming a blade of electric energy, "By focusing your chakra to a sharper point... you increase the intensity and penetrative powers of the technique, called Hell stab."<br/><br/>She focused for a bit and then shook her hand, appearing to indicate the technique was even painful. Indeed, her dark skin had a few cracks and burn marks on it, "Four fingers is pretty potent. Three moreso, and one finger is the pinnacle of the technique, able to penetrate any defense."<br/><br/>"I can start to teach you the basics of it now, if you want." The woman put her hands to her sides, the long sleeve covering her injured hand, "You can practice it in your free time... maybe we'll have it ready by the third stage."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Hanabi instinctively reached up to her upper lip, then looked down at her fingertips, beholding the residue upon it. She shot Azuki back a coy look, then wiped the rest off of her face.<br/><br/>"Right, right." She closed her eyes, smiling, "Diplomacy."<br/><br/>When the younger ninja pantomimed just how busty her companion the day prior had been, Hanabi's eyes widened and her head quirked. "I didn't know my sister was here." Her face was completely seriously, but she couldn't keep it for long before erupting into a soft chuckle.<br/><br/>"Good for you." She said, "But you really could afford to be a<em>little</em>more discrete. All kinds of people are talking."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"Mmm!" Makoto's voice reverberated from within her machine, "Very well! It'll be a good exercise for both of us, uh huh!"<br/><br/>Her giant puppet took a few steps back, the girl's thin legs swaying all the way. Then it hunched low, and the mounts in its side popped out, revealing two cannons in addition to the pile bunker pistons that she used to 'punch' her unfortunate opponents... a group which Yuki now found himself a part of, if only temporarily.<br/><br/>"It's a package called Enhanced Machinery, Mark III." She said with some pride in her voice, "By channeling a little chakra, I can enhance Kuma-kun's already improved servos. It should be stronger and faster than normal."<br/><br/>"...Ready?" She cooed, funneling chakra into the machine. After a moment's hesitation, it barreled towards Yuki. It<em>was</em>faster, stopping a few paces shy of the young man and planting one of its oversized legs into the sand. It slid on the ground and whirled about, bringing its pile bunker to bear.<br/><br/>Yuki dodged low under the first one. The puppet then pivoted, giving him the other side, but he weaved out of the way. With the second piston firing harmlessly beside Yuki, the first finished retracting. It turned again, but Yuki backed off and the pile bunker only hit the air in front of his stomach. Two more times she advanced upon him, and two more times he dodged it.<br/><br/>The sixth time hurt, though. Nothing quite like a steel rod being jammed into your arm to send jitters all the way up to his shoulder. Thankfully it didn't do too much damage as to throw him off, since he continued to evade the onslaught Makoto was unleashing upon him in Kuma. It was only the last one that connected, nailing him in the shoulder.<br/><br/>But... the piston did not retract, and the puppet remained standing there inert. In fact, it seemed to slouch a bit. A few seconds later and it hobbled back to life, "Ah, well. It certainly<em>feels</em>faster... but I wonder if the chakra drain is worth it. How's it hit? Harder, softer?"<br/><br/>The mecha-puppet's mounts retracted back into its shell, and Makoto even made it bow, bringing its giant legs together prim and proper, "Thank you for helping me test Kuma's capabilities, Yuki-kun."<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">Makoto attacks Yuki ten times and then runs out of chakra. He's considered using Total Defense, which is +4 defense.<br/>Rolls; 17, 16, 20, 16, 19, 22, 15, 12, 21, 26<br/>Damage was 18 and 14 for the two attacks that hit.<br/>If you're wondering, Sarada fully healed him from the day prior. :P</div></div>