Welcome to Gaia! ::

Yes.

This will do well.

Water stirs, bubbles rising to the top, waves suddenly rising up and down.

A single figure leaps out, cresting, and brings down his blade, the SAMEHADA!

SHARKBAIT HOO HA HA!

The figure had been alerted of the coming chakra long before it had actually arrived on the scene via the psuedo sensory ability of his sword and also npc's being cheaters. When the bombs began to rain down over his waters, the man on the surface simply spun in a small circle, swinging the heavy weapon on his back with him as the bursts occurred but otherwise giving no indication he'd even cared about the man's entrance until he actually threw away his cloak.

The figure, too, had on a cloak and he had quite the flair for the dramatic just like his cohorts. His grin grew as he tossed up his sword and reached across his chest. The toothy grin was sharp, jagged and frightening, but soon obscured by the man ripping his cloak off, allowing his chakra to be fully sensed unlike when he arrived. He threw it into the air, surprisingly high as it flew off into the distance, and with the hand he had launched it with, he caught the sharkskin blade easily. His skin was rough and gray like a shark, stance wide, eyes hungering for blood. "No no, you're right on time. I thank you for that," he spoke in a deep raspy rumble before he slid one foot forward, holding his weapon which seemed to be vibrating below the bandages keeping it hidden.

As fire flickered around his hand, the water swirled in a circle around him in a three-limbed spindle. Up above, clouds began to gather as the pair of warriors sized each other up. But who would make the first move?

A tongue, long and almost leathery slinked out of his mouth when Zahara quipped back at him, seeing that fire running along his arms. Samehada would feed well here indeed. The gift, so it was named, immediately made the blood of the Sharkskinned man boil and he knew that the fun had begun. He pivoted and gave a one armed swing towards the incoming fireball, sure of his weapon's ability to handle the attack with the small imparting of his chakra surrounding it, bringing forward water to defend it from the brunt of the attack, and slice right through it. What he didn't know was there would be an explosion immediately upon impact, and though he had handled the worst of the attack he was sent flying backwards, sliding along the top of the waters and having to fling himself backwards in a flip to keep from falling. His chakra reserves had filled from the attack, at the very least. He focused on his chakra, breaking into a sprint suddenly, nary a scorch mark slowing him down. Like a coiled spring he launched forward, like a dolphin breaking the surface, and flanking him in a pentagon were five sharks of water, each one aiming to come down on him, with his blade coming down to crush him as well. "Here, I bought you something as well!" he roared at the moment his feet left the ground. [Five Sharks Eating, A ranked Suiton Jutsu, and a C ranked Simple Greatsword Swing Boosted to A rank strength and speed.]

Aiming to disable the weapon arm and not the weapon was a smart move on the behalf of Zahara, as striking the weapon with chakra would prove detrimental if he intended to actually defeat him. With his attack coming there was little he could do to stop the incoming attack, and so it struck true, slamming into his arm and causing him to spiral backwards with a cry of irritation. Still, however, he held fast as he was sent flying backwards into the air. He was already gripping the sword arm, clearly broken. He, however, was far from beaten. He fell below the water's surface, knowing after seeing that attack that he couldn't hide, and instead using his mastery over water to create more turbulent waters. If he couldn't surprise him with ambush predation, he would simply fight him like a great white. With the surface now unreliable and churning, the Hoshigaki took a deep, underwater breath and fired a ball of compress water towards Zahara. Before it was upon him, however, the swordsman triggered it to explode. It had gotten to about 10m away, and that put zahara within it's explosive burst zone easily. Hopefully with that distraction to deal with the Hoshigaki using another technique would be missed. His body was now rocketing towards him, Samehada in his opposite hand, intending to ram him into the air with his Aqua Jet shaped like the aformentioned shark.

((Aqua Jet
Rank B
This jutsu surrounds the user in a sheath of water and bursts them forward intending to ram into a target. It persists for up to 4 posts, giving the Hoshigaki a method of speedy transportation that outruns techniques that don't match it's the strength. Conversely, for aesthetic, you can style yourself however you want. The default is a sharky sheath though, and takes one activation per post to maintain.

The Wake
Rank B
This skill sends out a pulse throughout any bodies of water in a thread that causes the waters to become extremely hostile and uneven, making anyone that isn't a Hoshigaki clansmen struggle to maintain their ability to walk on it, or even easily stay afloat. This skill makes the Art of Walking on Water skill cost a C ranked amount of chakra per posts, and lasts for three posts.

The Deep Blue
Rank B
This skill shoots a cannonball made entirely of water from the gullet of the Hoshigaki at a target up to 40 feet away. When it hits or reaches maximum distance, or at the triggering of the user, the ball of water will explode, scattering water across the entire thread in a vortex that ravages an area 20 feet in diameter. The user is immune to being harmed by this technique, and it leaves behind 3 feet of water for 3 posts that stays centered on the impact zone.))

Ah to be young and full of vitality. The power of the Hyuuga was nothing short of impressive. The initial burst, similar to a Hyuuga rotation enough that he was certain that's what he was seeing, actually cleared the path even more for his rush. What he didn't see coming was that Zahara was an absolute madman. Quite like the others in his realm of interest this man was one who would fling himself headlong at danger, and honestly it might have been more than a little foolish for the sharkboi to continue his offensive, but he was locked in and bloodlust was already boiling below the surface of his instincts. The very last seconds, he activated another technique to add onto his own offensive power, and that of his jet mode. The Manta strike would fill the entire body of the Hoshigaki from the water surrounding him, exploding from his eyes in a massive torrent that sought to explode the Hyuuga out of the air before he could actually hit him, and then follow up with the Aqua jet impact to really drive home the explosive power that the Hyuuga was dealing with in fighting him.

((Aqua Jet
Rank B
This jutsu surrounds the user in a sheath of water and bursts them forward intending to ram into a target. It persists for up to 4 posts, giving the Hoshigaki a method of speedy transportation that outruns techniques that don't match it's the strength. Conversely, for aesthetic, you can style yourself however you want. The default is a sharky sheath though, and takes one activation per post to maintain.

Manta Strike
Rank A Ranked
The user channels the power of the water around them into their weapons, their hands, even their eyes or mouth, and fires it off in a powerful attack that can blow apart a bounder with ease at low rank, and tearing apart large houses at A. Is treated as a suiton technique, and without a source of water to absorb this skill has a one post charge time, though you can still act while charging it. As an added boon, while near a large enough source of water, this skill can be sustained, dealing constant damage per post, though still costing an activation. Note that you are not rooted in place while using this attack.))

Colliding with his water torrent the shark man poured every ounce of his being into the attack only to find it mercilessly torn apart by the man's spinning vortex. The currents of the split in two as lightning cut through the waves. His attempt to dodge using his watery escape was cut off by the superior speed of the opposing attack left the entire right side of his body blackened as the the other half started to shake with the telltale signs of electrocution. With the success of Zahara's attack the fish man sunk to the bottom floor, for moment he was still alive although with the heart palpitations that he now suffered from it was likely that would could change at any moment unless he was brought to medical treatment quickly. Meanwhile as Zahara would undoubtedly notice with his Byakugan the strange chakra signature of the blade Samehada, who strangely enough had been slowly making it's way from the shoreline and into the lake. All of this was at a snail's pace of course.

As the blade was placed on Zahara's shoulder it's wiggling to get free would slowly cease. Instead the handle would curve forward as if it WANTED to be in his hand. Bandages parting just enough for it to be as close as possible, it was clear from it's happy wiggles that it's mood torwards the hyuuga had shifted in his favour for whatever reason.

Meanwhile the shark man's body gurgled in response to Zahara's questioning. The strength to form words was there but not enough to clearly define them. "Ye-s.. the.. cap-" His voice cut out as the shark lost consciousness due to the pain. For the moment it seemed that if keeping the man alive was his mission then he would fail. At least until the familiar figure of a woman landed on the earth out of a shuushin. Ripped clothing and spattered with blood might have marred her appearance, but as soon as her pale eyes locked with him Zahara would know her as the cult woman. She didn't speak at first, and instead bent down to dig two fingers into the wound. A set of fuuin patterns appeared and the man's breathing stabilized for the time being. "Sorry if I scared you but things just got a whole lot worse." Her expression was pained as she lifted the man's body up. If he was quick enough Zahara would notice a dagger with a snake hilt driven deep into her side, though for whatever reason she had chosen not to remove it. "Lady Chie as well as Lady Kya have been killed. Those responsible are meeting with defenders at the academy but it is unlikely they will be able to hold." A gasp of pain escaped her lips before she continued. "Bring me the scroll quickly! It pains me to say that an outsider is the only one I can trust with this now. I have reason to believe it was kept in the temple under Kya's watch before the attack begun."

Mission: Obtain the scroll!
Evade capture (or worse) from enemey forces and safely bring the scroll back to the gully.
Rewards: 20k ac and the snake summon.