Bryn T. Stormblood Vs. Takeru (Elkwood Battle!)

I was still in the third form of Thor's Blessing when I was challenged by an unknown shinobi. He resembled one of the officers of the army of the Empire, but I had thought he deserted. My hair glowed yellow, and my eyes glowed blue. Lightning bounced across my body as the electricity in my blood was moving at top-speed. I was ready for a fight, after all the buildings I had destroyed, it was good to actually have a challenge.

"You wouldn't happen to be the Imperial Officer known as Takeru, would you?" I asked politelyas I bowed for battle. I was always known to be respectable in fights, even to my enemies. After all, it wasn't them I hated, just their ideals. For all I know, in a different life, this man and I could have been great friends. "If so, that would make for an excellent fight, no matter the outcome it would be worthy of songs in the great halls! Good luck to you, my friend." As I spoke I took my stance, the stance of the Crouching Tiger.

Takeru stood silently as he looked at the ruined village around him. Acrid black smoke rose from ruined houses and the cries of injured civilians echoed through the air. His hands shook with rage as he beheld the destruction and the man responsible for it standing before him. He shrugged off his military jacket to allow him more freedom to move as he settled onto the balls of his feet and balefully stared at his opponent. His fury increased as the glowing man spoke and his body almost quivered with his overwhelming wrath. "What are songs and glory compared to this destruction? This is not honour, this village was unprotected! There were no combatants here! What you have done is unforgivable!" As he spoke he let the chakra of the Hachibi leak out and felt three tails form behind him. Thick fur grew across his body and his muscles bulged as they surged with extra strength. He quickly formed handseals and four black seals formed, two beneath Bryn's feet, one on his jacket and another on the ground just behind him.

Spoiler:

260/330

(Handseals for a C rank at your rank takes one post to perform before actually using it. I'll let it slide this time, but use that for a future reference. )

A grin crossed my face as I noticed black seals forming at different point around me. No matter, I quickly bolted to the right whilst taking my jacket off and dropping it on the way over to where I was, about ten feet to the right of my location previously. The jacket then exploded next to me, and I let out a deep breath of relief. While dodging, I had noticed tails growing from the man before me, and white fur grow from him. "Ah, the great polar bear. The 8-Tailed demon." The Yonbi's voice echoed through my head. Ah, so this was another jinchuuriki? Perfect, I would get to show off my haneously trained skills as well. "Alright, Yonbi, grant me your power!" I shouted as I went into the chakra cloak version myself. I could feel my strength rise to that of a mountain, and my fists could shatter a one if I set my mind to it. A green aura, as dark as the trees of the forest, whirled around me, combining itself with lightning. My strength was nigh-doubled, and my speed and reflexes increased too. I was unstoppable.

"You think speeding up this war is unjust? By sacrificing the people of this village, whom I ordered my men to spare, I get one step closer to ending this war and the bloodshed that comes with it. A necessary sacrifice. Now, come and face me, you fool!"

As I was yelling this, I sprinted at an unfathomable pace directly for my opponent, reeling back a fist. I closed the distance within the blink of an eye, and swung my fist as I ran, meeting the man's face as I reached him.

Spoiler:

340/390

The world around faded to silence as the man before Takeru called to the Yonbi to lend him power. The Yonbi, that cursed creature who stole his beloved wife. Red crept into the corners of his vision as his opponent charged him and threw a punch directly at his head. He moved his head just enough to avoid the blow and felt the air whistle with the speed of the man's blow. He found himself face to face with Bryn, their eyes met and he found a primal roar of rage leave his mouth at the man who possessed the creature he hunted. He brought an arm up to strike at the man's exposed chin before leaping to the side and forming handseals. "You would speak to me of sacrifice? Of bloodshed? A young pup like yourself knows nothing of war and the pain it brings. You think your cause noble? that the blood you shed this day will end this war? Ignorant fool!"

260/330

Spoiler:

("He brought an arm up to strike at the man's exposed chin" - Interrupting you here)

I was silent now, as usually occurred when I was caught in the heat of a battle. I felt the man dodge my punch before I saw it, as I felt the electrons bouncing around his body sway to the side away from my fist. In the flash of an eye, I felt his next quick jab coming to my chin, and saw it shortly after. Almost as soon as he threw the punch, I sent my left hand into his jab. His hand was there, and my hand was faster. I would grab the hand, and with a forceful yank, that would most likely pull something out of place, I pulled him into my other fist that had been recoiled for another punch by now, and let it fly towards his gut. With this adversary's magnificent and honed speed along with strength, as well as my own which was even faster and stronger thanks to Thor, our fight appeared as two men teleporting to and fro through the space of Elkwood. A worthy opponent indeed. The worst mistake he could have made, as I'm sure he would have realized by now, is that I am more than efficient at the art of Taijutsu, and the movements of my body are unmatched.

I would not kill this man, for his cause was honorable. I believe mine to be more honorable, but then again, each man's views are their own. I told my men not to kill, and I would obey my rule. Even if I defeated him, I would do anything in my power to do so without another death on my hands. That is, if I made it that far. For all I know, I am severely underestimating this man.

The enemies strike connected with his gut and sent him reeling through the air, if not for his heavily reinforced skin Takeru was sure the blow would have shattered his ribs. As it was he felt a flash of burning pain stretch across his side and marveled at his opponents strength and speed. He twisted in the air so his legs were beneath him once again as he landed against the wall of a building. The wooden walls beneath his feet groaned with strain as he landed and a sharp crack echoed through the air. He had completed his hand seals during his flight in the air and tore away his eyepatch, exposing a white eye with no pupils or iris, merely a seal. The jutsu activated and he felt his eye surge with energy as the senses of his opponent were sealed away. He dropped from the wall and landed gently on the ground. From the speed of his opponents reactions he knew he was well outclassed in close combat and he readied himself on the balls of his feet, forming handseals once more.

210/330

Spoiler:

I was confused as I lost all of my senses, but the overload of electricity into my nerves gave me the sense of touch back, and I didn't need my eyes, I could see perfectly by feeling all of the electrons throughout the air around me. I felt everything, from the opponent bounding backwards, to the handseals he began to create. I took a defensive stance, and began charging chakra into my left palm, as well as into my feet. I immediately took off bolting towards him at the blinding speed I ran at.

Takeru gimaced in concentration as his opponent moved to charge him. As he was about to finish his handseals he felt the hand where Bryn had grabbed him go numb and also felt a creeping numbness creep from his stomach. He leapt backwards once more into a nearby cloud of smoke, it was obvious to him by now that his opponent had some form of sensory technique, as he was still able to target effectively while his senses were sealed. He readied himself on the balls of his feet and tried to regain feeling in his hand, useless for the moment. "Do you see now how blind you are young pup? How little you know?" His vision was still tinged red with the fury he felt for the yonbi and his blood pounded in his ears.

210/330

("He finished his hand seals and watched as four seals formed" - Interrupting you while doing this, also you'll have to edit and say that the handseals failed because you can't feel one of your hands)

I reached my target just as he started another handseal, and with the last step, erupted into another burst of speed (technically rising to 126mph). The ground crated under my foot as I lunged myself forward with that last step, and raised my right arm to clock my target in an even faster speed at the top of the chest/ neck region. "LARIAT!" I yelled as my bicep would connect with my victim. The damage would be detrimental, but not fatal, and luckily I caught him before the handseals were finished. My eyesight was still a foreign concept to my body, and I was getting slightly annoyed with me having to rely completely on my tracking, but nonetheless I managed. I sprinted after my opponent, and I would reach the building he was flying at before he would.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

290/390

Time slowed as Bryn closed the gap in an instant and Takeru glanced at the arm that was about to connect with his neck. At the last moment he dropped his chin just enough to save his windpipe and spine from the majority of the damage and kicked off the ground in a wild attempt to control at least some of his imminent flight. He felt another crack and knew that his chin was most definitely broken and bright red blood splashed in the air as his lip split, despite his hardened skin. His head snapped back as his body flipped through the air, his shoulder bounced against the side of a building and he grabbed at it with his hand, swinging up the surface and launching himself onto the slanted roof. He rapidly formed handseals again as he kept an eye trained carefully on his opponent, watching for the slightest of movements.

("He rapidly formed handseals again" - Catching you here again)

I did reach the building before my victim, but he bounded onto the top of the roof. No matter. Causing another crater in the ground, I launched myself up at him coming out of my run. On the flight up I woud connect my hand to my forehead forming akind of triangle with my forefinger and thumb. I would reach him in another split second just as he began performing handseals, and release the jutsu I had been charging up for earlier from point blank range after while still flying towards him. The enormous force of the jutsu would also stop me in my tracks and I would land as I watched the aftereffects of the beam in my hand. The beam flew at a stunning 90mph, almost as fast as me, and faster than any other normal kage.

I would begin charging chakra into my right hand this time, and would again bound off at an astonishing speed towards where my target would be flying to. This jutsu would have been nigh-impossible for him to dodge, and realistically would have ended the fight. No mortal man would be able to stand such pain. I had cracked his chin with my lariat, and I had definitely caused damage to his arm and stomach. The human body could only take so much punishment. Punishment that he did not deserve.

Spoiler:

250/390

Takeru was amazed at the incredible difference in strength between himself and his opponent. Nothing he did seemed to be effective and even as he formed more handseals the Bryn was in his face once more. His handseals were the only thing he could manage to do before the man was attacking him with another technique. With nothing else to do Takeru threw himself forward into the man and grabbed hold of him with his arms holding him tight in a grapple. He took the brunt of the technique and hoped that the man would suffer at least some drawbacks from it as he barreled off the roof with the man. The jutsu he had used rose from beneath them and four large lances of earth shot from the ground to strike him in the back, at the same time two hands shot out to grab them both as Taker's body went numb. His mind faded into animal instinct as he fell, barely keeping his arms around his opponent. He knew his move was inviting death but he was prepared to sacrifice himself for the Empire and the innocents in Elkwood. There wasn't much space between the ground and the roof where they fell and Takeru felt confident that at least one of his spears would be able to strike and detonate. He coughed as they hung in the air, "Take this you bastard,"


120/330

Spoiler:

I regained my eyesight just in time to take in the cluster of events that was beginning to unfold. When my Fokuhai had been cast, the man grabbed my arm and pulled me with him, and he was certainly stronger than I had initially thought. A life-or-death situation presented itself to me, as two large hands, followed by one large spike, rose from the ground in an elaborate last-ditch trapping strategy. I would not let myself get thrown onto that spike. On the flight off of the roof, I, with a little more effort than I would have thought, tore my right arm away from the man, and used it to force me to spin around in a 180 to put him on the bottom and swing my right hand into the stone hand. With my strength of Thor, and the strength of the Yonbi, I shattered the hand, and the remaining hand on the other side ended up pushing us over the nub that was left of the other, and out of the way of the lances. We landed onto the ground with a thump, and we skidded across the ground for a solid amount of distance. The man still latched onto my left arm was fading in and out of consciousness, as the electricity in my body poured into his to numb his entire body, even moreso than the previous Fokuhai. I took a moment to breathe before standing up, and rolling the man onto his back. "Hold on, friend, we'll get you out of here." I said sternly before placing my palm on his forehead. "There's someone I want to meet first."

There was always a legend that Bijuu could still communicate through one another when their Jinchuuriki made contact. And judging by the fact that this one hadn't come out yet throughout the battle said a lot about his personality already. He was definitely one of the more relaxed Bijuu. I wanted to meet him, as the Yonbi has told me that once they had been friends. I was curious myself, so I decided to try after my duel.

Immediately I found myself standing in a room filled with nothing but black except for four three beings. There was myself and the Yonbi standing behind me, and in front of me was the 8-Tails. The great polar bear sat on its haunches, eating a hunk of bamboo or some other related plant that I had never seen before. I didn't know it's name, so I knew I could not befriend it as this man would some day be able to, but I did have one request.

"Hachibi. I am Bryn Stormblood, Jinchuuriki of the Yonbi. Pleasure to meet you."

Takeru floated through the blackness. He knew he was defeated yet some part of his mind refused to accept it. He had lost, he the oldest and most experienced of all the Officers of the Empire. For so long he had been a bulwark of the Empire, a firm foundation on which it could stand and hold fast against the forces of the world. The young Kage had respected him, heeded his wisdom and advice. He had defeated the Hachibi itself in single combat in its lair deep beneath the turbulent oceans. He had always endured, always survived. So why had he lost? He had more than lost, he had been defeated humiliatingly and hadn't managed to even scratch his opponent. After all his years of preparation and planning he still couldn't avenge his wife, his beautiful wife.

"Kailie..."

He floated in the darkness once more.

The Hachibi stared down contemptuously at the puny being before him. It raised its meal back to its mouth and took another large bite and yawned as it chewed. The Yonbi stood proudly behind the thing and he snorted as the human addressed him. "I see you've gone and lost to some young cub Yonbi. And it seems your cub has a few more teeth than the grizzled bear who sealed me."

I stood before the Hachibi, struck with awe. Even through all the time I had spent with mine, I still had many things to learn. Communicating through Jinchuuriki was one of those things. This was truly an amazing experience, and I relished the moment. The Ram began to speak back to the Bear, "Ha! As righteous as ever, I see, my old friend. Yes, the Mountain Child bested me in combat. It was terrible at first, but it's been almost three years now, and I almost don't dislike him." He finished the statement with a roar of a laughter. He then sat down as well, as if he and the 8 Tails were just hanging out at a bar or something. I thought to chuckle, but didn't want to disrespect anyone.

I took a step toward the Bijuu, "May I ask a question to you, mighty polar bear?" After waiting for approval, I asked, "How long have you been with this man, and what is his name?"

The hachibi snorted and yawned again. "This bears almost as grizzled as I am, he goes by Takeru and I've been snoozing here for only a few months. Is that all cub? I feel like sleeping."

(Short post from phone)

"One more thing, if I may. This man has heart, and even if our ideals differ, his motives are good. No matter how tired you may be in the future, please, as a favor to me and your old friend the Yonbi, do not let this man fall down the wrong path. Help him to love." As I finished the last sentence, I faded out of Takeru's head along with my Yonbi. After coming back to my senses in the mortal world, I sat down next to the unconscious Jinchuuriki laying beside me. I took a few deep breaths, and thought to myself while I relaxed a bit before rejoining the rest of my men in battle. I was tired. Tired of this war and tired of death. I was tired of fighting men and women that I would be able to be friends with in any other circumstance. I would not quit, and I would carry my Rebellion to the end, but I was exhausted. This war was a rough place to live in.

I hoisted myself up onto my feet right after pulling a small token out from a pocket in my pants and placing it in the closed palm of Takeru. The token had a simple olive branch etched into one side, and on the other, it read "We fight where peace is not, we are but an olive branch." I carried the man to the shelter of a building a few blocks away, and left to join my brethren.

"Onto the end, my brother." The Yonbi's voice echoed.

I would repeat him, "Onto the end."

[Exit]