Different Breeds [P]

approved, according the travin the rest is being saved for cole.

Gesturing ambiguously to acknowledge Travin’s words and departure, Koutaku remained in place in the interim, considering how he could have responded differently to the jounin’s attacks. It was difficult, truth be told, but ultimately he decided that he could have prepared his technique to cancel out Travin’s at the last moment, allowing both attacks to disperse one another, thus clearing his path. The downside of course is he’d have less time to respond to any additional changes in circumstance and that he’d also be much closer to his adversary when he countered the blade of water. Then it struck him, the easiest way to deal with the problem would’ve perhaps been body flicker. It was risky, but given his speed, no attack would reasonably be able to reach him so long as he was moving away from Travin--and the explosion--as he used the technique.

Keeping it in mind for other desperate situations in the future, Koutaku let his mind drift for the remaining time. It didn’t take long for Travin’s friend to arrive, however, so he was soon pulled from his peaceful meditation by an unfamiliar voice. Opening his eyes, the young Iouchiryo sized this ‘Cole’ fellow up, then smiled and took the hand, using it to rise to his feet before shaking it.

“Well met, Cole. I’m Koutaku,” the genin replied with a final shake of Cole’s hand, before letting go. Walking past the newcomer, Koutaku did some stretches as he crossed the room, making some distance between them. “Well, I started with a spar when Travin was here earlier. Shall we do the same?”

Koutaku turned as he said the last words, grinning faintly as he finished his stretches and laid a hand on his sheathed blade.

Spoiler:

Nodding in response, Koutaku helped Cole set up--as he seemed to be struggling slightly--and then jacked into the system as well, chuckling to himself a bit as he did so. As their simulations synchronized, an open field materialized around them. Koutaku, recalling the prototype of a weapon that his clan had been working on, had worked a functionally similar version of it into the simulation as well. It took the form of two small disks on the backs of each of his hands. Flexing his fingers--and chakra--slightly, Koutaku tested their responsiveness and then nodded, as he flicked his wrist, drawing four wirebound shuriken into his left hand with the action, Koutaku stared 30 meters across the field at his adversary.

"I'll use only a few techniques during this fight, that way this is more even," he said, and then took off towards Cole at his max speed, the knee-length grass sweeping away from his wake. He moved five meters closer, ready at any moment to change his trajectory if necessary.

Spoiler:

Noting that his adversary had drawn a katana, Koutaku continued as he hit the 5 meter mark, closing another 5 meters of distance to make his approach, putting them 20 meters apart. At this point, Koutaku decided to test the waters, flicking his left hand to pull four shuriken into his hand, catching each between a finger without harming himself. Continuing the motion of his hand, he made a tiny gesture with the hand, throwing two of the shuriken simultaneously at 110 speed. The shuriken were arranged such that they’d strike Cole center mass if he didn’t move or do something else to stop their approach. The shuriken were positioned a foot apart from one another so that moving to either side could result in one of them still hitting. This meant that if Cole did not move, each weapon would pierce both sides of his torso.

As Koutaku released the two shuriken, he prepared the other two with wire from the apparatus on the back of his left hand in a flash of dextrous movement at 140 speed. He would then throw one of the wirebound shuriken straight down, embedding it in the ground just to the left of his foot. That done he took a single step forward, moving approximately one foot(.3 meters) as he did so.

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Nodding his head as Cole dodged the shuriken, Koutaku prepared another set of shuriken at 140 speed, resulting in him having four wirebound throwing stars in each hand well before Cole had closed the distance due to the disparity in speed. Thus, as Cole traversed perhaps 2 meters, Koutaku finished his initial preparations and then casually released his shuriken in two sprays, one to either side. Each spray had four of the wirebound implements, their points aimed downwards towards the ground as they flew. Each shuriken would embed itself in the ground roughly 10 meters away from his person, with each of them being about 3 meters apart from the next shuriken in its given grouping. As they arrived they’d embed themselves in the ground. Having traveled at 110 speed, this meant that as they embedded themselves in the ground, Cole would have crossed 11 meters of the distance between them.

Watching the man position his blade, Koutaku placed his right hand on his own katana where it lay sheathed on his left hip. Then he detected a slight shift in chakra as his adversary had almost entirely closed the distance. Narrowing his gaze as he noted the sheen of chakra on the blade and the beginning of the horizontal slash, Koutaku drew his own katana in an instant, performing the seal of confrontation as he did so. Slashing from his left hip upwards towards the right in a diagonal sweep, Koutaku’s blade found itself wreathed in a faint aura of wind. As the blades struck, this aura clashed with that of Cole’s own weapon and was promptly overwhelmed.


Smiling at his adversary, their blades locked in a clash for the briefest of instants, Koutaku used his greater speed--and thus the superior force behind his weapon--to knock Cole’s blade upwards and out of position as he finished his slash. Rather than reposition the blade, Koutaku had simultaneously drawn a kunai, which he thrust towards his adversary’s chest at 140 speed.

Spoiler:

Cole watched as Koutaku moved additional shuriken into his hand and threw them onto the ground. A move that would make no sense unless he had a way to retrieve said shuriken from where he stood. Leaving the only option being that Koutaku had strings tied to each of the shuriken and would be able to pull them back to him. For this reason, Cole positioned himself to be in between two of the shuiken’s on the ground to make it slightly easier to dodge. 


Cole saw Koutaku draw his weapon lightning fast in comparison to Cole’s own level of speed. Forcing him to slightly change his game plan, as Koutaku would be able to beat him in a test of strength. At the time that Koutaku’s blade was halfway out of its sheath, Cole flung the water off his blade in a ranged attack. Aiming not for Koutaku but for the back side of his blade, catching it at the handle in an attempt to push the blade down. If successful, this would do two things. 


First, it would trap Koutaku’s left hand reaching for a kunai in place, making it impossible to attack with that hand without dropping his sword. Second, it would leave Koutaku wide open on his right side with his left hand trapped by his own arm and sword and his right hand being forced down. 

If his plan was successful and Cole was able to hit Koutaku’s blade in a downward angle as planned. He would continue his sword strike, aiming to cut into Koutaku’s chest, while keeping an ear open for the sound of the string tense and shuriken coming loose from the ground.


WC-281

first form speed 100 power 75 for blast
cut if successful 50 power

Eyes narrowing as his adversary began to alter the precise order and nature of his actions, Koutaku found that he would be forced to adjust. As Cole altered his own slash, sending off the blade of water affinity chakra, Koutaku performed a series of simultaneous actions. Koutaku pushed back and to the right with his left foot, swiveling his body so it was sideways, while at the same time he activated the Endless Reel, causing wire on his right to rapidly be retracted. As he shifted posture and position, he altered the precise trajectory of his slash. Given Cole’s own maneuver and Koutaku’s speed, the blade of water would have had to be aimed at a diagonal, downwards, with its edge at an angle such that it was largely vertical. As a result, as Koutaku swiveled, the projectile--which would be aimed at Koutaku’s left side, would find that its target had moved out of the way just enough to avoid it striking at all. Meanwhile, the pull of the wires on his right hand--which was clasping the blade-- would let him slide .4 meters (1 foot) to the right even as his blade easily cleared its sheath--now unhindered--and met Cole’s in a clash.

However, now it was far more dangerous for Koutaku’s adversary, as on top of the Iouchiryo’s greater speed--the force of his blade being 70 impact--the Vacuum Blade had still been activated. With its power and speed at 80, the blade would not only win any clash with Cole’s weapon, but would also totally ignore it, flying past the man’s guard and straight at his chest.

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