Night of the Ironborn

"Now you are concerned with the opinions of your subordinates." The child who challenged the village for their leadership without care as to whether they wanted him or not, the same shinobi who stood before the Hiyu alone, without anyone to consult him was now concerned with what his people wanted to do. Unfortunately for him, he was their leader and the decision would be his to make, alone. "Sadly, time is not a luxury I can afford." Kiri's hound had been sent here to convince Kumo to join the one empire the Hidden Mist sought to achieve. However words were not the only method capable of achieving such a goal. Where words failed, other tools would have to be deployed. The two former allies now found themselves going around in circles, their words were being lost to the wind, speaking back and forth to no end. It was time to see this through.

"On you're own?" Questioned the demon from within, knowing what the Hiyu was about to attempt for it was aware of all of the ANBU's inner thoughts. "This is my mission and mine alone. I will not burden others in my failure to convince him." "Will you kill him?" The Rokubi questioned its master honestly, knowing he wanted to be an aegis to the world, a guardian and a protector. How would he go about achieving such a goal? "He does not deserve to die because of his ignorance nor does he have the right to take away this opportunity from the people of Kumo due to his ignorance." There conversation was short and quick. They knew what had to be done and they were both on board for they both wanted to see a new age ushered in. The two had suffered much in their lifetime. It was time to enact a new world order and this was the fire step down that road. Failure was not an option. 

Sternly the giant gazed at the Lord of Lightning standing 20 meters ahead of them. A calmness was in the air, a stoic sense of tranquility emitting from the brute. He knew what had to be done and had accepted it. The Hiyu would grunt, breaking the momentary silence. "I now know how things work in Kumo. You standing before me as Kage has only proven it. The people of Kumo will follow anyone as long as they possess the title of Raikage." Calmly, Nobunaga would push his right arm forward through the center slit of his cloak and casually brush it aside, revealing the right side of his partially armored body while keeping the entirety of his left side concealed, along with the rest of his weapons. "I cannot let you be the death of all these people, I cannot allow you to keep this old world and its archaic systems alive." 

With his unwavering gaze staring at Max all the while keeping his peripherals on the shinobi who manned the walls. "Enough talk. You will have to make your final decision here." In one slow, calculated and calm mechanical motion, Nobunaga's revealed arm would raise up toward the bandage wrapped handle poking over his right shoulder. "If you will not submit, I challenge you for the mantle of Raikage." The behemoth would grunt while simultaneously grabbing the handle of his sword. Unhooking the sword from its link on his back, the Hiyu would bring the massive great sword to his side, revealing the over sized blade for all the see. "You do not want this fight, young Max." Stated the Hiyu with authority. Only Max had the power to avoid this fight from happening, only Max could make that choice. If not, he would have to defend his title exactly as he had claimed it.

Max would simply wait and listen, allowing the large titan of a man to speak his peace without interruption. The man standing before him had much to say, and so the young lord would stand idly by.

"You ask much of me, and my decision heavily impacts their lives. So yes, I would seek to understand what my people would prefer to do instead of forcing them down a path they might have issue with. Of course, what would you understand of this? Does your Mizukage not consider what his people desire, or is such a thing below someone of his position?" Max would ask, not truly caring what the mans reply would be. It would seem as though his mind was made up, and so Max would make up his own mind. 

"You speak of old ways and archaic systems, yet when I refuse to submit you threaten me. How funny it is that you find issue with how Kumo did the exact same thing to Suna..." Max would shake his head, the man claiming that Max had been following in the same path as those before him and yet here Nobunaga was doing to him that Maku had done to Suna. "Of course, this time it is just and fair, right? Is it because of your lords silly vision of himself as the emperor of all nations, and his so called "peace" through the use of the age old philosophy that might makes right. He is no visionary. He is a fool whose ambition will likely get him killed." 

Max would simply frown, disappointed that Nobunaga decided to go down this path, one that he criticized moments ago. "If I must make this decision now, without the possibility of first seeking council then I must refuse. You are right, Nobunaga, you really are... I don't desire a fight." Max would ready himself, knowing that this was going to turn south quickly. 

"But you see, I don't simply submit when someone capable shows up. I know that such a thing must be foreign to you Suna shinobi, for it seems whenever faced off against a powerful opponent you simply bend the knee and shift sides.... pathetic." Max could feel Napa influencing him, but he was about to fight and that was when the darker forces claim the greatest hold on the boy. 

The young puppeteer's Wraith puppet would be beside him, a mere half meter to his left. The behemoth of a man was 20 meters away. The large sword was at the ready, so Max could make some assumptions about the Hiyu's gameplan and style of combat. Close quarters combat was all but a sure thing.

OoC:
Well, looks like its gonna be a fight. lol

Paying AP cost for threads

"You leave me no choice." The Hiyu would respond to Max feeling threatened and clearly aggravated by the fact. "Violence is what you know. It is all you understand. Therefore it is what I shall give you." The Hiyu would calmly finish. How could the behemoth expect Max to see the value of the opportunity before him. He was but a young shinobi, ignorant despite his skill. Bred in the old world, soured by the filth and rot of the place he called home, blinded by the veil of how he thought the world should work. Somehow, he thought as a separate village, as its own entity, Kumo could broker peace between the other villages. As if that had not been tried before. He was slave to the old ways and only knew violence therefore Nobunaga would give him what he knew.

Stoically, without ever shifting his gaze away from the young Lord of Lightning, the Hiyu would swing the base of the massive slab of metal he called a sword onto the top of his right shoulder plate. "You are mistaken little boy. Suna did not submit, they lost when their Kage was defeated. The irony that you will succumb to the same fate..." The Hiyu would give pause as he now focused all of his senses on his surroundings, his ANBU training garnered over the entirety of his shinobi career now kicking in. A calmness settled over him unlike any other for he was now in his comfort zone. Words were not his forte, but but clashing blades and battered iron, that was where he made his home. "A fitting end."

Upon speaking his final word, the Hiyu would part the left side of his cloak with his concealed arm by thrusting it forward, now fully pushing his cloak behind him to reveal the entirety of his armored body. and prepare himself for the impending battle. As what remained of his concealed body came into view, the Lord of Lightning would see that the Hound of Kiri was holding a small hammer in his left hand with the head pointed right at him. The instant the hammer was revealed from behind his cloak, a sudden flash of light would erupt from the head of the weapon designed for crushing bones and flattening flesh. Similar to the lightning native to this land, a loud crackle thundered through the air and a flash of light emanated from the hammer, engulfing and overwhelming Max's senses. As both the light overtook him and the sound overpowered him, the still standing Raikage 20 meters away would lose both his sight and his hearing.

The Hunter Operative would continue his assault on the now blind and deaf ruler of Kumo by taking a step forward with his left leg and dropping his left arm to waist level before rapidly swinging it vertically to shoulder height. Halfway through the ascent of his beastly arm, the Hiyu would let go of the hammer, launching the head of the weapon right towards the crippled usurper. If he tried running away in his handicapped state, Nobunaga would aim his throw to intercept Max's movement and strike him based off of the direction in which he was heading. The lightening imbued mallet would erupt with flickering lightning, launching it forward with even greater velocity. With its increased speed and the fact that Max could neither see nor hear it tearing through the sky strait towards him would make it extremely difficult for him to avoid. If all went according to plan, the originally stationary or perhaps now moving Raikage would receive the speedy lightning hammer right in the center of his collarbone, just bellow his neck. 

ooc: Unless stated otherwise, actions occur at max stats. 

Energy Wells = 445: 500 -40(Grindstone 3rd Ability) - 15(Grindstone 1st Ability)
AP: 600

Hammer (Thrown)
Speed = 155 : (100+80)/2 +40 +25 
Impact Force =  117 : (155+80)/2

The large brute would shift his weight slightly as he revealed his hammer. In an instant the thunderclap would strike his senses, though the boy’s black eyes would be all that gazes back at the titan, the boy unflinching. It ability was a bit disorienting, but Max had no intention of showing any weakness to the Kiri hound challenging him for his title. The ringing in his ears was unpleasant, but that wouldn’t deter him. He couldn’t lose here, else all of his work would be wiped away and his vision for the future of Kumo would crumble to dust.
 
Nobunaga would pull back his arm, ready to launch the hammer at the boy standing there, unmoving… uncaring. Moving about while ones senses were dulled was almost always a terrible idea, as one was prone to fumbling around, and if one isn’t careful they can make the situation far worse. Of course, Max knew exactly where he was, with or without his senses. The boy’s blank, unresponding gaze would be all that Nobunaga would see before he launched his attack at the boy.
 
The hammer would release, and Max still wouldn’t flinch, though his fingers would twitch, shifting the puppet into action (Max’s Speed 165, Puppet speed 162). The cloaked figure would open its mouth and move forward from beside him closing the distance between it and Nobu as Max shifted his position a half meter to his right, placing him no longer in the path of Grindstone (Max’s speed 165). The boy would continue moving along this path for an additional 5 meters (Still full speed) unhindered as he gazes about the battlefield. Kumo was his home, and hopefully he would have the advantage of being accustomed to its terrain. The swampy murk beneath their feet couldn’t hinder a Kumo native, though the Hiyu looked unimpeded. His sheer strength alone was likely the culprit here. Max would have to rely fully on his own power and not that of Kumo’s past rulers.
 
Should the puppet be uninterrupted, it would move in and aim to attack the face of the Hiyu (Speed 162, Strength 87) in an effort to break the big man’s nose. No matter how honed ones senses, a broken nose will cause a great deal of trouble to the targets vision.
 
Max stood with his back to the wall of Kumo, gazing out at the challenger with a hint of rage bubbling just under the surface. How was Nobunaga so blind to everything? Why does he think that the Mizukage ruling everything would solve the land’s problems? Does he not realize that the man wasn’t the first power-hungry tyrant to have a similar goal?
 
OoC: full stats n stuff


AP: 
-30 AP (5 ap [strings upkeep] x 6 prior posts)
-10 AP (Chakra Threads/Chakra Suppression)
-50 AP Schism (Drawing 132 stats from Napa; +32 Health, +60 Chakra, +40 Speed for Max)


1190 AP remains


Current Stats:

It took a special breed of human to become an ANBU operative, perhaps even more special than the men or women they chose to serve under. A person who was willing to put aside their own personal desires and goals in order to server under the ideals of another, to posses the will to do their biding regardless of where you stood on the issue, a mental fortitude of the rarest degree were traits rarely ever seen among the general shinobi populace. More important than that however, was what they were willing to physically subjugate themselves in order to become the trained assassins their village and leader required them to be. Only the strongest made it through the most grueling of training, pushing their bodies beyond their physical limits in order to achieve the highest level of skill and human capability. Nobunaga had done so, among the dunes of the Wind Country. It felt like ages ago but the training was ingrained in his subconscious, built into his muscle memory, dictating every pull and push of his tendons, influencing every one of his decisions, directing all of his actions. When in the heat of combat, all of that training resurfaced. 

The well trained eyes of Kiri's Hound were locked onto his target, the still standing boy who's eyes had blackened in order to withstand his Thunder Clap. He stood there rock hard, as if trying to imitate the Hiyu, maybe even intimidate the behemoth. But it would not work, nor did he believe that the Raikage was simply going to stand there, no matter what the Hiyu threw at him. No matter what, Max had to either avoid or defend against the soon to be launched projectile. Nobunaga's well trained eyes were aware of all. Upon the release of his hammer, he immediately noticed the twitch of Max's hand which followed suite by the jerk of the figure beside him due to its opening mouth. Reacting immediately, the Hiyu's free hand would shift into the Boar and Tiger seals. By the time his second seal was done, Max would be moving 1 meter to the Hiyu's left, the puppet closing about the same distance of the 25 meters that stood between the two combatants. 

The Raikage, who was moving 1 meter to his right would find himself taking a step right into an ocean of mud. The ground beneath him had transmuted into a thick, brown, ooze like substance that would catch and trap his little legs before pulling him downwards into its depths. The seals the Hiyu had performed were not for a jutsu to intercept the figure Max controlled, it was meant for Max himself. In his haste to move out of the hammer's path, the Lord of Lightning would step right into Swamp of the Underworld, the jutsu being centered at his current position and containing a diameter of 19 meters. With the four meter deep mud conjured into existence beneath his feet, the Hiyu began to strafe to his left with short, quick paces, always keeping his swordsman's stance of his left foot slightly ahead of the other. He would go 2 meters to the right of Max's position to keep the boy in sight behind the charging puppet.

If and only if the minion continued its charge forward, still intent on delivering its punch, Nobunaga would turn his attention to the puppet a few meters ahead of its master and fast approaching. The Hunter Operative would swing his massive sword off of his right shoulder and downwards towards the approaching puppet to have the tip of his ridiculously long sword collide with the creature right when it was 2 meters ahead of him. With the full length of his sword and his outstretched arm, the blade now coated in wind chakra would cut right through the center of the puppet and along the depth of its entire body, chopping it from its head down to his groin and splitting it in two. Should Max attempt to maneuver the puppet to the side to avoid the downward slice, the trained swordsman would simply shift the angle of descent and the position of his body to continue facing the puppet thanks to the agile stance he currently held. Should the puppet move to its right, Nobunaga would shift the angle into a diagonal swing from the puppets right trap down just above its left hip, severing both its head, right arm, and half its chest from the rest of the body. Should the puppet move to its left, the exact same would occur, simply severing its head along with the other side of its other body. 

Thanks to the sheer length of both Nobunaga's sword and outstretched arm, as long as the puppet remained at or within the two meter mark, his sword would slice through it, severing its body and destroying the mechanisms that lay within its head and torso. Also, due to the length of the sword being able to strike the puppet two meters away from his position, it left the Hiyu with an ample amount of space and time to continue to defend should the puppet somehow continue its assault. From two meters away, should the puppet bear a blade from some hidden compartment, continue with its forward movement or launch a surprise attack while its master dealt with the swamp 20 meters from Nobunaga, the Hiyu would be able to react in time to take the necessary precautions due to the length and size of his sword allowing him to attack from a larger distance than a normal blade would. It was one of the advantages of being strong enough to wield such a weapon.

ooc: Unless stated otherwise, actions occur at max stats. 

Energy Wells = 380: 445 - 45(Swamp of the UnderWorld) -20(Chakra Blade)
AP: 600

Swamp
Power: 65
Speed: 65
Diameter: 19 meters
Depth: 4 meters

Sword Swing
Sharpness = 170 : 100 + 25 + (100+80)/4

CD:
Grindstone 1st ability (1/2)
Grindstone 3rd ability (1/5)

Max would finish his movement as Nobunaga prepared himself for the oncoming assault. The puppet would continue its movement towards Nobunaga shifting as needed to follow along with the brutes movements. The brutes movement would indicate a sword slash, and so the puppets would be filled with Max's medical chakra to increase its durability, though no visible or noticeable change would occur to perceive. 

The Raikage would continue to watch Nobunaga like a hawk, all of his senses on high alert. As the Titan planned for the sword would strike true, but being unable to cut through and destroy the puppet as expected (170 health and items require +20 to damage/destroy them, Nobu's strength of 80 isn't high enough to halt the puppet either do to its greater strength of 87), Wraith would continue its assault, the puppet moving forward with its intended strike. Despite the man's skill with a sword, its bulk would require a greater range of motion for another swing, and so the puppet had time to make its own attack. As it closed the distance now within the 2 meter range as described by Nobunaga, the puppet would lunge its fist at the Hiyu's face, the Morgul Blade in the bottom of the wrist sliding expanding out from the underside of the puppets launched attack, keeping it just out of site from the slightly taller target until it was likely too late. (Speed 162, Strength 87, Sharpness 162)

If left unchecked, the puppet would strike Nobunaga in the face as soon as it was in striking range, stabbing him through the nose and likely ending this fight. No matter which way Nobu would try and avoid it, the puppet would easily be able to adjust to land the strike despite the movements. 

Max really didn't wish to kill Nobunaga, hell he didn't truly even desire this fight... but he respected the man too much to hold back everything. Plus, this wasn't some simple spar for training. No, this was a challenge for leadership. Max can't let Kumo fall into the hands of Kiri, no matter what. 

Should it connect the puppet would pull the blade back to avoid a fatal strike. Should things end up looking dire, Max would rush to the aid of his former comrade and friend. The boy was a medic after all.

OoC: Max stats n such, y'know. Also fully expect you to be able to defend from the blade so it looks worse than it is

Starting AP: 1190

-10 AP (Chakra Threads/Chakra Suppression)
-50 AP Schism upkeep(Drawing 132 stats from Napa; +32 Health, +60 Chakra, +40 Speed for Max)
-50 AP for Undead Resilience (+70 Puppet Health; making Wraith's health 170)
-20 AP for Extending Morgul Blade 


1060 AP left

The arrogance of the little Lightning Lord was on full display. Perhaps having defeated Kyson garnered an unwarranted sense of achievement. Perhaps the rest of the village falling in line with his leadership had caused the boy to develop an undeserved sense of accomplishment. Whatever the case, the young combatant threw caution to the wind as he saw it fit to both let himself get trapped by the rising swamp beneath his feet and charge head long with his puppet right into the behemoth's strike. Whatever pedestal he sat himself on had caused him to put aside any concerns a normal shinobi would have when going up against a behemoth of a man who wielded an ungodly weapon, one that could barely even be considered a blade. 

The over sized slab of metal that was the Hiyu's weapon of choice arched through the air and as planned, slamming dead center right on top of the puppets head. The hefty blade cracked open the skull of the puppet like an egg unable to support itself against the full force of the weight descending upon it. The thick mass of metal held by the Hound of Kiri would cut right down in between the puppets eyes, severing its head in two as it tore through its chest and down its abdomen, parting the man made creation like the Red Sea, destroying any and all mechanisms in its head, mouth, throat, chest and stomach in the process.

With his weapon striking true and splitting the puppet in half, before the minion closed the distance to less than 1 meter should it still attempt its attack and thus before its blade ever reached the Hiyu, Nobunaga and all his belongings currently connected to him would vanish as his body transmuted into a thin, quick bolt of lightning. The bolt originating waist high, far from the swinging arm of the puppet would shoot forward with incredible speed, passing right up and over the gap separating the two halves of the puppet Nobunaga created with his massive great sword. Using the forward moment of the puppet against it to create extra separation, the bolt would close the 20 meter distance between Nobunaga and the sinking Max in an instant. As a lightning bolt, Nobunaga still contained full mobility of his actions and therefore would easily be able to maneuver out of the way of anything Max may potentially launch his way during his approach as the speedy, crackling bolt of lightning. 

Once the lightning bolt was 2.1 meters from the trapped Raikage, the Hiyu would reappear in the exact same position he stood in before the jutsu had been activated. With his left foot still slightly ahead of his right, holding fast in his traditional swordsman stance and with the tip of his weapon touching the mud mere inches from the descending Max, Nobunaga would stand above the boy Kage, more than strong enough to resist the pull of his own swamp. Now standing before the Kage, one of two things would happen, if not both. That was up to the Raikage. Should Max still be able to or chose to have the remains of his puppet pursue Nobunaga from behind and attempt an attack or if he himself tried to attack Nobunaga from 2.1 meters out, the Hiyu would merely thrust his massive sword a few inches forward through Max's heart and the majority of his chest, immediately ending his life. Something he could easily do before the puppet closed the distance to launch a successful attack or before Max could launch an attack. 

Second, Nobunaga would level his now open free hand with Max's height which would be constantly decreasing for he was sinking into the ground. The hammer which he had thrown only moments ago would now find itself about 15 meters behind Max where it would immediately shift the direction with which it was flying in and darted strait towards the Hiyu's open left hand with the same speed and force it had been thrown with. Should Max be aware of the incoming hammer and try to adjust his position as best he could, the Hiyu would adjust his hand to keep Max in between the path of Grindstone where it would then smash right into his back, just beneath his neck with enough force to put him on the brink of death. The hammer would completely shatter his spine, knocking him unconscious, completely paralyzed and with bone fragments scattered throughout his entire body causing internal hemorrhaging.

Max did not have to die in this moment, but he did have to lose. Whether Nobunaga punctured the boys heart with his massive great sword or pulled Grindstone into his back and rendered him into a near dead quadriplegic would be up to the Lord of Lightning. Either way, Kumo had to be conquered by Kiri.

ooc: Unless stated otherwise, actions occur at max stats. 

1st ability of the Great Sword hits objects as if they had 20 less health, which puts your puppet's health at 150. Therefore the swords sharpness of 170 beats it. 

Energy Wells = 298: 380- 20(Swamp of the UnderWorld) -42(Bolt) -20(2nd Ability)
AP: 600

Swamp
Power: 65
Speed: 65
Diameter: 19 meters
Depth: 4 meters

Bolt
Speed: 205

CD:
Grindstone 1st ability (2/2)
Grindstone 3rd ability (2/5)

Max would watch everything unfold, his puppet sliced in twain. Without Wraith, Max knew that he had little chance of victory over the titan. He couldn't go down without a fight though. He couldn't just surrender everything he worked towards. 

The boys chakra strings that were connected to the puppet would loosen and lie on the ground. Nobunaga would find himself standing on the strings and Max would see the opportunity to try one last ditch effort. Max would bind his strings to the Hiyu, preventing the sword from plunging into the chest of the little lord. Now that the boy had control of Nobu's body, he might be able to turn the fight around.

Crack!

The hammer would strike unexpectedly, and everything would start to go dark. The boy wouldn't be able to feel his limbs. The strings, now without the control of the puppeteer would fall harmlessly to the ground. "I... I..." 

Max had lost, his body failing him and his consciousness quickly fleeting. It would seem as though Kiri's hound had bested the... well, the former Raikage. Max couldn't help but think to himself, "I failed Kumo..." as the light slipped from his eyes. 

OoC:

Nobu won. Congrats, dude. It was a blast threading with you.

Permission given by Sean to momentarily pause the thread until Nobu's shit has been updated as per the patch, since this thread was started before the patch went into effect.

Striking true, the bludgeon weapon soaring towards the Hiyu's guiding hand would collide into the Master of Puppet's upper thoracic spine, dead center in between his shoulders. Like a freight train, the tiny hammer struck with devastating force, obliterating his spine, sending fragments of bone scattering throughout his tiny frame, in turn causing massive hemorrhaging and internal bleeding. The impact force of the hammer would pull Max right out of the mud and carry his limb body right towards Kiri's champion, closing the small 2 meter gab between them in a mere instant. With his free hand that guided the hammer, Nobunaga would catch the paraplegic by the throat. With the hammer now being within grasping distance it would cease its forward momentum, coming to a complete halt before dropping towards the mud upon which he stood with chakra laced soles. 

Immediately, Nobunaga's grasp would tighten around the unconscious, paralyzed Raikage. Despite the fact that his spine was shattered, rendering him into a cripple without any control over his body, he was lucky to still be alive. Albeit just barely. If the Hiyu wanted to he could instantly end the young boys life with a simple twitch of his muscles and a tightening of his grasp that would result in the snapping of Max's neck. But there was still work to be done. It did not have to come to this nor did it have to end like this. But the story was written and past events could not be unchanged. What happened next would fall upon Max's shoulders and the decisions he made prior to this event in order to influence his village, would dictate the events that would come to be.

Holding up the nearly deceased Lord of Lighting level with his left shoulder, Nobunaga who was still ultimately aware of his entire surroundings for there still lay a village of enemies before him, would shout with a booming, authoritative voice "Your Kage has been defeated... but he still lives yet!" With Nobunaga standing just under the village gate, the entire Cloud Village lay before him, affording him a line of site to see all and all could bear witness to his demand. Now, it was time to see just how beloved Max truly was to his people. "Should you wish to keep it that way, drop your weapons, kneel before me in the mud and submit!" With the mud having been centered on Max's position, it would stretch out 9.5 meters in every direction from where the Hiyu stood holding Kumo's Boy Kage, allowing ample space for them to kneel in his jutsu before him. 

Discussions had failed and negotiations were no longer an option. Kumo had entrusted Max to defend them and he failed. It was now time for them to submit, least they watched Kiri's Hound finish the job and murder the boy they let rule over them. Or they could do that themselves. The boy's injuries were grave. Should he not obtain immediate medical attention, care that could only be given after Kumo's forces submitted, his time on this earth would come to a quick end.

ooc: Now unpausing the thread and opening it to the rest of Kumo to join

mid thread claim 
7563 words
Max's chakra siggy
3320 to master Exo Flesh Armor (other words linked in bio)
2743 into http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t27232-tailed-beast-shockwave?highlight=Shockwave
1500 into http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t41059-genetic-progenitor-clan-pureblood?highlight=Genetic

Energy Wells = 277: 298 - 20(Swamp of the UnderWorld) -1 Surface Walking
AP: 600

Due to post patch stat change, per Rin I was permitted to reduce the swamps power.
Swamp
Power: 60
Speed: 65
Diameter: 19 meters
Depth: 4 meters