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((More like common sense. He has low chakra left, so use the clones to eliminate your clones (because he sees more than one of you) if one is solidified, attack it.))

Jin
LV. 8
Hp: 43
Cp: 06/104
MHp: 80
DB: 16
REFLEX DC: 23

The clones dispersed. His target was open. It was a face off. He stood up and leaped down. "Fire Release: Running Fire!" He breathed out a flame that spread around Byakuran Two branches of flames shot in towards him. He smirked as the boy was surrounded with fire. He would kill this kids if he had to.

part 2

(To a max damage of 67, leaving you unconscious at -9.)

Hirojo took a kunai and approach his opponent, ready to slit his throat as he lowered down. "You talk to much." Hirojo placed the blade to the kids throat and was suddenly flung back.

Miroku looked at his soldier in disbelief. "Your job was to act as a lookout and to guard the library, not to kill some kid."

Hirojo began to spit forward an excuse, but Miroku wasn't hearing it. "Get to the library and copy that scroll, I've got bigger fish to fry." He grabbed Hirojo and threw him in the general direction of the library before disappearing and heading off on his part of the mission.

Byakuran Usotsuki
LV. 7
Experience: 347/400
Hp: -4 hp +2
Cp: 49 cp +2
MHp: 91
Dodge Bonus: 18

Byakuran was somewhat of a petty individual at heart after all. It was one of the reasons he was so determined to destroy his clan. If the boy did not suffer death at the hands of another in the village, unlikely given the wounds he'd wounds he'd sustained the chakra he'd wasted fighting Byakuran, then Byakuran would, for matter of principle, have to kill the boy the next time they met... if only for his lack of proper sense for dramatics and poor manners...insulting his shirt? The nerve. Hmm...though now he thought about it, Byakuran probably could actually use that one. "You see these arrows? Their for you, just so when i'm done with you you still know which ways down." Hm...yes, maybe he wouldn't kill the boy, that was a fairly good quip. Still, there was the matter that he'd defeated Byakuran...he wasn't sure that he could let that slide.

It would have been one matter if the boy had had a particular grudge against Byakuran himself, that could at least be understood... but attacking him for no real reason...? No... he would definitely kill the boy the next time they met...though...perhaps in draining his chakra so early in the middle of such an intense invasion into another village...he already had. Annoying... it would have been more satisfying to kill him personally...still, one shouldn't look gift horses in the mouth, as Takahashi had always said.

Byakuran Usotsuki
LV. 7
Experience: 347/400
Hp: 0 hp +2
Cp: 53 cp +2
MHp: 91
Dodge Bonus: 18

Byakuran's eyes opened slowly, his head turning from side to side as he looked around the surrounding area. There didn't seem to be anyone around, his opponent having just left him there without even restraining him... how...insulting. Still, he didn't seem all that bothered as he slowly struggled to his feet, his injuries ailing him as he instead elected to merely settle into a low kneeling position, still trying to regain his strength. From the distant vibrations that insisted chaos, Byakuran would assume that he hadn't been out for that long. He'd always been quick to mend, he supposed. Still, he was in no shape to keep fighting. He'd need to rest... for the moment. He closed his eyes in thought. Yes, he would sit here and regain his strength. If his opponents delayed for too long... he would seek them out and finish this. He'd see how they faired from the start now that he had enough chakra to properly defend himself... and it was his opponent who would likely be running on next to nothing. For their sake, in honor of them...sparing, him. He gave a light chuckle. He hoped they hurried with whatever it was they were going to do.

Byakuran Usotsuki
LV. 8 26/450
Hp: 27 hp +20
Cp: 84 cp +20
MHp: 96
Dodge Bonus: 18
10 resting posts

Byakuran's eyes suddenly shot open. He couldn't let himself be set back just by this... he couldn't let himself be beaten by a mere wound like this... not after all the work that he had gone through to gain the power inside himself... Something seemed to flare up inside the dark haired young man, his skin starting to give off a faint hum as the chakra inside him, sleeping since he had brought it under his control in the cave, sprung awake at his call, a strange flood of new life and energy rushing through his veins. Yes... this was it... this was the power that he'd been working to attain. His wounds seemed less daunting now, his weariness melting away as the chakra inside him continued to climb, the radical shift within him giving him, he felt, far more power then he'd had even before the start of his fight with the mysterious assailant.

Or...perhaps not so mysterious. Byakuran closed his eyes as the new wave of power filled his ever corner, the wounds he'd sustained from the battle lessening and buckling under his new rush of spiritual strength. Yes, perhaps not so mysterious at all. After all, he'd given away several important clues as to just who it was that he was serving...

First of all he'd mentioned a commander... a commander, he had specifically called it. Few Ninja's tended to use that term unless they were in a military situation, when ninja's were literally at war with one another, yet this invasion clearly wasn't as wide spread... it was a small term operation...meaning... he narrowed his eyes. Meaning that it was most likely not a matter of a ninja village at all, given even further their interest and knowledge of recognizing an Otobe, immediately associating him with Oto and being trained to recognize the invisible sound wave attacks of his kekke genkai... it most certainly meant that they were at the very least on the border of the land of rice... if not planning to go to war with it soon...

And that...that left only one conceivable culprit. The Land of Fire and it's Daimyo. With the civil war in the land of fire and the hostile take over of two years previous, leaving the Hidden leaf an enemy in it's own lands, the new Daimyo had raised an army all his own, not relying on the village itself for power, as it had chosen to throw in it's lot with the rightful heir to the throne. Still... Byakuran was under the impression that their war with Stone and Kohnoha itself had weakened them, could they really and truly afford to be making enemies of the Mist as well...? Most likely not. But then what could be their intention? What could they possibly be planning? There was only so much that they could be attempting to do in a village that they didn't intend to go to war with that could prove beneficial to them...

They could be attempting to frame another nation, plotting to start a war between the mist and one of it's enemies... but... he narrowed his eyes slightly as he continued to consider the matter. But that was risky... far less so then merely attempting to at least open a political channel asking the mist for an alliance. This then, was likely something else. Not to the point where they had required the Mist to go to war for them, even by mis-direction, but a manner to improve their chances at their war indirectly...

But...

His eyes suddenly opened fully once more as the chakra inside him flared up with realization. Jutsu. The Village hidden in the mist had a complete collection of the most powerful water Jutsu in the nations, if the land of fire could get their hands on that, given their own affinity for fire, they could greatly improve their efforts in the war... drastically, even, given the power of many higher level Water techniques. Byakuran once more closed his eyes in thought. Yes... that had to be there goal... but if that was the case, then they would most likely be at the library this very moment, the other spread out attacks across the village mere distractions... they would most likely copy the scroll, then get the jutsu out as fast as they could...even if many of their troops died as a result, it would be more than worth it to them in the end. He flexed his fingers, the pain from his wounds fading away ever so slightly as he rose to his feet, his balance more than regained. The power within him had definitely filled him with a new strength...a whole new level of power... now he'd be able to fight that boy on even terms...

He had to think... what was the best course of action here...? On one hand he was still wounded, and far from at full strength, if the enemy had other, more powerful ninja there copying the scrolls, he'd be next to helpless against them. On the other hand, if he did manage to succeed...if he really did manage to put a stop to this, he would be preforming a commendatory deed for both sides of the espionage based fence in his life. The Mist would certainly give him due for stopping the theft of valuable and dangerous jutsu, and his Clan would be more than grateful for preventing a potential enemy from getting stronger. It was a rare opportunity where he could help both sides without really having to choose which force he was assisting. Without giving away anything of his intentions. It was an opportunity not to be passed up lightly, it wasn't something that he could just ignore. True it might be dangerous, but the life of a warrior, as he intended to be, always was. He couldn't let himself back down merely because there was a risk involved.

The chakra that had been welling up inside him continued to rush through his coils, perpetuating his recovery and, more importantly, his resolve. He could feel the vibrations of the area all around him... he could feel power that he had struggled so ardently with in the cave now a part of him...moving with him, as one with him. This was his power... his strength. he gripped his fingers tightly as he continued to rally it within him. He couldn't hold for long, but their was a strange sort of rush from within him, an explosion of clarity and motivation that came with the chakra.

He was more than merely doing this for the powers that be, of course. There was also the matter of survival. He couldn't allow someone who had figured out he was an Otobe to live... it simply wasn't an option at this moment in time. The information could be used against in any number of ways, and it wouldn't take to much digging into his chakra network to see the truth in the words. His second sensory system set him rather ardently apart from normal people, and though it did allow him in rather unique way of perceiving and interacting with the world and sound around him, it also marked him as the agent that he was.

His feet were steady now however, the sharp pain from his wound settled into a dulled throb. he could fight, he could still fight, in this condition...and more so his chakra reserves were greater then they'd ever been, by far. If he managed to catch his enemy unawares...he would be able to do it... he would be able to finish what that other boy started, assuming that it was indeed the same boy who had attacked him that he would be facing. Even if it wasn't, he felt that he still had a chance. That he could still find a way to succeed if he just managed to pull this through... he stood up to his full height, the chakra that had welled up within him giving a brief flicker across his skin in the form a faint, quick, blue glow. He could do this... he could still fight. The air seemed to hum faintly around him once more as his body began to give off faint, almost untraceable, vibrations into the air around him. He was far from at full strength even still... but one didn;t always have the option of arranging all the cards so they came out just right... sometimes, in the words of a certain cheshire smiling senpai of his... you had to improvise. Byakuran flexed his arm where the fire jutsu had hit him, only mildly flinching at the pain that shot through it. He'd be able to endure it though, he was going to have to. His battle wasn't over just yet.

Tenko ran at full speed, well his full speed, with a bundle of goods in his arms. He had a stupid grin stuck on his face as he ran through the village toward the grove. He did fall quite a few times as his face took the blunt of the blow. He had a few small scratches on his cheeks and forehead but kept running, with a slight limp, with bundle in hand. He coughed out a ball of dust every now and then and while he was running he thought of something. 'Please oh PLEASE!!!! Don't let my elemental affinity be earth....' He cried out wordlessly to the sky above, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face once more.

[exit to the grove]

((IGNORE))