Tuujaimaa

Natrelmon: Legends

The fact that you'll soon be bereft of your big shiny thing could also make an excellent starting point for the conversation.

Natrelmon: Legends

Fact: None of your conversations will be nearly as awkward as Kasumi and Shio's are. If you are worried about awkward conversations, read theirs, and your fear will melt away. :D

Natrelmon: Legends

"Discretion becomes automatic. It stops requiring effort very quickly." She replied, taking a large gulp of her own drink and eating some more of her noodles before they got cold. The food really was excellent here - it would be her sole port of call for food in the coming few days or weeks as she endeavoured to take on the challenge of facing Anastasia, the first Arena Leader that those on their Rites came across.

"The last time I saw a laser, it killed about fifteen people. I like them." came the reply, along with a little chuckle. At least Shio had followed the advice and done something on her own initiative - that alone was a positive indicator.

"Do you think stealing is wrong? I'm afraid I have a habit of doing it. Except I'm not afraid. And it's more of an obsession than a habit. My last therapist diagnosed me a kleptomaniac. I stole his keys, wallet and PDA. You can have the PDA if you want it." Kasumi offered, reaching down into a bag next to her and pulling the PDA out. It was clearly stamped with the logo of a small-time doctors' clinic in Lifan, and it seemed ornate enough to be more than a standard work PDA - perhaps a birthday gift or something of similar sentimental value. It was too risky to sell it in Lifan, so she'd sort of just accumulated it and left it.

"You seem prepared enough to have more plans than potential killers. That's good. Especially if they have lasers. You should be prepared for lasers." She nodded sagely.

Natrelmon: Legends

"You're supposed to add things to the conversation. Things that you think might be relevant." Kasumi opined, not exactly chastising Shio, but offering a constructive criticism. Kasumi had never really seen the point of being offended when people pointed out your shortcomings - if you knew what you were bad at, you could improve and stop being bad. In her line of work, a single mistake had massive repercussions, so she had always been particularly critical of herself and her technique when training. It was a practice that had served her well, but other people seemed to be offended whenever she commented on their lack of grace, or the fact that they obviously not showered and the smell was putting people off from talking to them, or even they were just plain ugly, and none of the boys were interested because they were vapid and unattractive. Surprising as it may have seemed, Kasumi had very few friends growing up, and that was a habit that she'd retained in adulthood.

"You're also checking for poison incorrectly. Far too obvious. Try distracting the person you're with before you do it. Make sure that you're more discreet. If they were trying to poison you, they had a contingency plan. At least, they did if they were competent. You should assume that they are competent. If you don't, you could end up dead. Or worse. A lot of poisons aren't even meant to kill. Do you know much about poison?" Kasumi stated, pausing briefly between each sentence to ensure that Shio had at least a little time to register what she was saying. She seemed to be completely at peace with the fact that Shio was checking the food for poison - her only gripe was that she was doing it incorrectly. The entire aura of awkwardness that was emanating from the table - visibly causing certain patrons to get up and move to other tables - didn't even factor in to either of them. It was, honestly, quite a spectacle to behold.

One of the couples that had decided to leave passed by Kasumi, scowling as they did so, and in an impressive display of lightning-fast reflexes, she lifted the wallet from the male's pocket as he turned and brushed past her.

"Dinner's on him, by the way."

Natrelmon: Legends

"Observant. I recognise you from the war." Kasumi responded, her tone much more lackadaisical and carefree than Shio's - but still with the same sense of frankness and directness. It was an interesting juxtaposition to Shio's method of speaking, but simultaneously it had similarities that perhaps Shio would find comforting.

Kasumi pointed to the second drink on the table before giving a brief nod towards Shio, inviting her to take it.

"It helps with the spice. Acts like a dessert, too. Popular in Orin."

Her gaze remained somewhat inconsistent throughout the entire exchange - though she was clearly paying attention to every action and non-action that Shio made, she was also observing everyone else in a similar manner - thoroughly, despite her capacity for attention being only human. There were things that war taught you that you could not possibly think of doing prior to actually being forced to do it. It made Kasumi a remarkably efficient thief, and if it came down to it assassin, but it did hurt her ability to interact comfortably with most people. It was often considered rude to not give full attention to someone you were in a conversation with, but that was another one of the intricacies of conversation that she'd not picked up.

She nodded to the Kujaku without facing it, before quickly turning her attention back to Shio.

"You're starting your Rites, then? They used to nag and nag and nag at me to "do something with my life". I have "responsibilities"." She smirked, drawing air quotes as she said responsibilities. The conversation could have seemed awkward to an outsider, or maybe even to Shio, but Kasumi was simply used to talking in short bursts in order to convey as much useful information as possible using as few words as possible. She'd never be as eloquent as some of them, and she'd never master the art of wordplay - so why bother trying to play their game? Her game suited her just fine.

Natrelmon: Legends

Kasumi's order of thinly shaved medium-rare steak and rice noodles arrived just as Shio had opened the doors of the restaurant, and as the food was sat down she gazed across to Shio from beneath the relative cover of her hood as the waitress set everything up on the table for her. She'd recently discovered that the Orinese drink of Arandin's Lippia and Blue Mist Flower root, stewed with several aromatic spices and thickened with condensed milk, was available in the restaurant and her first order had been two glasses of those. She'd not had the drink since her childhood, and the sweet, smoky, and spicy taste of the drink complimented the flavours of her steak and noodles excellently. The restaurant was one of the few that Kasumi actually intended to pay for - whenever she was genuinely impressed with the quality of a restaurant's food or the service that was provided, she toyed with the idea of actually paying for her food, and given the combination of both excellent food and excellent service, Kasumi felt that stealing from this particular venue would invoke some sort of wrath, and the name of the restaurant inspired a strange sense of almost familiar dread, as if a "Red Nakumo" would actually swoop down and smite her for her misdeeds.

Those thoughts quickly melted away with the ice in her drinks, sat beneath the scorching sun, watching the people of Toran go by.

Shio's having a Kujaku was somewhat problematic - it would be far too much effort to actually steal anything from her under its watchful eyes and aura. It was perhaps better to hold off from stealing from this one particular woman. She looked like she was from the East too, though - and if she was seeing correctly, she certainly recognised the physical traits of one of the more prominent families of the East, and there were certain details that she recognised from the war. Odd, that they would both choose to take their Rites at the same time, but it was perhaps one of the few happy coincidences in the world.

Happy Coincidences were not something Kasumi really believed in.

Natrelmon: Legends

The mumbling sound of the crowd could be heard quite distinctly from within it, each individual voice giving rise to a great chorus of sound that ebbed and flowed in its own distinct manner, with each individual little rise or fall contributing to something even greater than itself. Most crowds were like this, but there were few as great as this one. Lifan, the capital city of Nerta, was always bustling with people who wanted to see something greater than they themselves were - be it the variety of shops, the sights, or most commonly a member of the Elite Triumvirate. Lifan kept to its namesake - life - at almost all times of the year, and though there was perhaps a lull in the regular stream of things to do Lifan retained its ability to be busy at all points. This made it the ideal city for one Kasumi Touhou to prowl around in in her downtime.

The crowd barely registered anything that wasn't the focus of its current attention, and though individuals may have noticed that something was afoot, the body of people never did - it never had and never would. Kasumi's invisibility was a hugely valuable trait in this sort of situation, and she used it to great effect - a simple swipe of a person's wallet, or a pilfering of whatever they'd just bought just as it was stashed away. These little acts of theft still brought a huge rush into Kasumi's life as she practiced her trade. Until she was perfect, she could never begin to call herself the world's greatest thief - and that was her longterm goal. She was going to steal everything that she could get her hands on, and the bigger the challenge the better it was. That was the life of a thief who stole for fun rather than necessity.

While invisibility was an imperfect gift, and in close quarters it was perhaps unreliable, the nature of the constantly moving crowd made its weaknesses practically nonexistent - as soon as anybody realised that they'd been stolen from, Kasumi was far enough out of sight that they'd never be able to see her again, and the theft was a complete success. It had been the same for many years, and the nature of the city of Lifan - one where customs died slow deaths - meant that she would likely enjoy the same success for many years to come. There was a lot to consider doing in Lifan, though, and perhaps her success in one regard could easily be translated into another.

Impulse had always been a force that had ruled the Kasumi's life. Even in the war where her talent for theft and her ability to astrally project herself had come in extremely useful, she had never been able to stick entirely to the plan that she'd been told to obey. If she saw opportunities, she took them, and she had even managed to assassinate a prominent leader of the West in her time despite his having Perfect Sight. Despite her Invisibility being useless against him, the power of generally being stealthy and skilled with a blade were not something that he'd counted on - and she had stolen his life because of it.

After collecting her spoils for the day, Kasumi went immediately to the train station of Lifan and stealthily boarded it. Sitting among the cargo with her invisibility meant that she could go wherever the train took her without the need to pay for any of it, and that was exactly what she did.

After a few hours of sleeping, the train arrived in Toran. The thought of Toran had always brought memories back for Kasumi, as the member of a high-ranking family in the east, she had always been pressured into starting her Rites, but due to the war it had been too risky for her to do so. Now that she was free from the leash of her family, she could pursue them on her own - and she could travel the world as she did so, stealing everything from everyone that she encountered. Perhaps she'd even meet a few people who didn't mind having their valuables stolen.

The most logical thing to do was sit in an area that had a high volume of people travelling through it - and study the ways of the people. That had always been the tactic during the war, and it seemed like an awful shame not to employ such a tried and tested tactic in other situations. Kasumi found her way to one of the local Toranese restaurants - highly recommended by the locals - and sat down to eat. The view of the bustling town square was quite helpful, but it also had a wonderful sense of beauty to it. Perhaps that was from Kasumi's experiences in crowds of people, but regardless of why she still found it beautiful.

Natrelmon: Legends

It's a lot like Invoker from DotA. You can have three active elements at once in any combination of S, T and W (Stream, Tide and Wave). For example:

SSS
SST
STT
TTT
TTW
TWW
WWW
WSS
SSW
TSW

Those are the possible combinations. Depending on which combination you choose, you gain access to a different basic move. :D

Natrelmon: Legends

pls

Shūkyō Kaikaku (Naruto AU)

Nara, Kyu

【Full Name】
Nara, Kyūshō

【Alias】
Kyu

【Sex】
Female

【Age】
27

【Sexuality】
Heterosexual



【Birth Country】
Kyokujitsugakure

【Current Village[】
Kyokujitsu no Toshi

【Organization】
Member of the Senkensha

【Shinobi Rank】

Jounin - ANBU



【Personality】

SoonTM



【History】

SoonTM



【Chakra Nature(s)】

Yin

【Weapons/Tools/Pet Falcons】

Generic Tools in Surplus

Crossbow

Longbow



Name of Companion: Hiyō
Owner: Nara, Kyu

Description: Hiyō is Kyu’s pet falcon, her loyal companion and above all else, partner. Hiyō is sapient, and though he rarely communicates through words, he is capable of relaying simple messages to people that do not understand his squawks. Most Nara clan members are able to understand Hiyō’s squawking, so can have full conversations with the bird. Hiyō is an exceptionally potent hunter, and has many techniques working in tandem with Kyu that make the pair exceptionally dangerous. His wings are coated in Nara clan chakra, which allow him to perform various techniques listed below.

【Other Specialties】

Kyu is a potent sensor ninja.

Kyu is exceptionally intelligent, though not in an academic sense. Kyu knows how to survive off of the land, endure hardships, and has unparalleled battle tactics with her falcon at hand.

Kyu is extremely potent with her crossbow and longbow.



【Kekkei Genkai】

N/A



【Canon Jutsu】

Basic Academy Techniques

Nara Clan Techniques

Chuunin-Level Medical Techniques

【Custom Jutsu】

Name of Technique: Kyōkai naki Ryōdo [Boundless Realms]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Personal
Nature Type: Yin; Jikūkan
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Perhaps among the Nara clan’s most creative and intensive use of their most basic principles, Kyu has modified her control of the shadows to a sufficient enough extent that she is able to link the space between any shadows connected to herself or another Nara-clan member and an extant shadow. The connection does not allow physical objects above the size of a Kunai to pass through regardless of the size of the shadow, but information is exceptionally easy to transfer using this technique. The one exception to this rule is that Nara clan members, if they are able to partially fuse their body with shadows, are able to move through the shadows.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Kage Kyōsha [Shadow Lance]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: D
Range: Personal
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kyu gives her shadows form and coats them in a thin layer of chakra, allowing her to make permanent objects out of shadow. The only practical use for this technique is to create arrows, though with the assistance of additional Nara - like Kyu’s sister Shio - more useful objects can easily be created.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Shi no Hyōteki [Marked for Death]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu; Jikūkan
Rank: B
Range: Personal
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: A potent but situational assassination technique - whenever Kyu is within half a mile of her target, if another Nara’s shadow is on the target or a natural shadow remains on a target for at least five seconds, Kyu is able to fold the space between the tip of her arrows and the shadow on her target, using the Boundless Realms technique, instantly piercing the target as she fires the arrow through them, which immediately dissipates. If the target has no exposed areas of flesh covered by shadow, the technique fails.

Kyu can also activate the technique if a person has been marked with Takagari. If no external chakra interrupts the Takagari mark for ten seconds, Kyu can immediately fire a shadowy arrow through the mark (in any direction) when she next uses Takagari.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Shinsei Bunkatsu [Sacred Split]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Personal
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kyu creates a single arrow and fires it from her longbow. At any point during the arrow’s flight, it can be split into five new arrows that are each guided individually by the Shadow Sewing technique.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Takagari [Falconry]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu; Jikūkan
Rank: A
Range: Personal
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Whenever Kyu hits an enemy’s shadow with her arrows or bolts, a mark is created on their body that corresponds to the part of the shadow that was hit. Kyu is able to use the Boundless Realms technique to instantly move to this mark and then kick off from it in a single direction. Hiyō is also able to apply the marks by flying over an opponent’s shadow. The mark will be applied to the area of the body correspondent to where Hiyō marks the target’s shadow.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Taka no Kage [Shadow of the Hawk]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: S
Range: Personal
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Taka no Kage allows Kyu to merge her body with shadows, causing her to be unaffected by anything physical that is not laced with chakra. While merged, Kyu cannot use any other Jutsu except Boundless Realms, and she is unable to interact with any physical objects in any way. Kyu cannot be transformed for more than sixty seconds, and can only move through the shadows once during this time before the ability cannot be used for an hour.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Kage no Shūgeki [Shadow Assault]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: 10 feet (radius) // Hiyō
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kyu creates a shadowy clone of Hiyō, which then proceeds to dive at a target. Upon reaching the target, the clone explodes in a flurry of shadows that persist in the area for up to five seconds. Enemies within the shadows cannot see outside of the shadows by any means due to the chakra concentrated in them, but the shadow is immobile once released.

Hiyō himself can use this technique in a ten foot radius circle around himself.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Kage no Fukumen [Shadow Cloak]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: 10 feet (radius) // Hiyō
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kyu and/or Hiyō cloak themselves in shadows, becoming completely invisible to all but the most skilled of sensors. Whenever either of the two moves, the jutsu is dispelled.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Sora o Kuraku [Darken the Skies]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: B
Range: Hiyō
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Hiyō’s feathers begin to create shadows using the Nara clan’s chakra, allowing him to spread shadows wherever he flies. Additionally, if Hiyō flies over somebody’s shadow while using this technique, Kyu and other Nara clan members can use Nara clan techniques through Hiyō’s shadow.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.