Rainy Days

Forests in Kumo this time of year took on a different look from the lush green usually provided by the pines. It was autumn and the mountain passes of Kumo were already beginning to accumulate their yearly snows that would melt when the spring came. Mountains were known for their defensible positions and brutal seasons, a fact which allowed Kumo to survive even during the reign of the city of Kitai. The world had come a long long way since the city fell, and Aldomaru was only a child then and barely had a thought about it, and today was one day further into the future. Today there was no snow falling on this part of the Expanse, but there was an icy downpour in full effect over the woods. The sky overhead did not rumble with thunder, there were no bright flashes of lightning; today was the type of gray day that was simply dark and loud. The patter of rain on the still lush greenery was overwhelming, and the icy wind cutting through the trees made the world all the more miserable.

Aldomaru could watch his breath float like a fog in the rain, the warmth escaping his lips and finding the chill of the world far from comforting. His hair was drenched, as was his face and neck, but the rest of his body was thankfully dry thanks to his overcoat. He had originally come out here to track down a boar that had been bothering local farmers further up the mountainside, but with the weather taking a turn for the worse he knew that search was going to be in vain. The pig would go home and hole up in its den and leave Aldomaru chasing leaves for the next few hours. Producing a cigarette, the Uchiha boy sought to light the tobacco before the rain drenched it beyond burning. The drag on the cylinder brought the tip to a bright red glow in the gloom before the black clad chuunin dropped from his perch atop a tree branch and landed on a muddy path. He was lucky not to twist an ankle with the ground becoming so treacherous so quickly under the constant downpour.

His hands found his pockets and his feet found their purchase, Aldomaru started his long walk slowly back up the mountain as he tried finish his chosen vice rather quickly before the rain ruined it. A shiver ran up his spine as some droplets made it past his collar and down his back. The weather was more than miserable, yet ahead he could see two shapes up ahead in the grey wall of falling water. It was unlikely they were invaders, they were coming from the direction of the village and most who found their way across Kumogakure’s boarder patrol were headed up the mountain. Still, it never hurt to be cautious so his left hand gripped the hilt of his Wakizashi while the right brushed some of his hair away from the headband he proudly wore so he could be clearly identified. Kumogakure shinobi. Thinking the pair to likely be farmers, he marched onwards and directly towards them so that he might double check his findings before heading home.

Kosei walked along the muddy path staying completely silent, it was raining, no. It was pouring, and the young Kaguya could feel himself shaking in his loose white robe, barely being held together at the front, the sleeves were long and concealed most of his hand, more precisely halfway to his palm when his arms were down. He glanced at the boy next to him, this was his teammate, they were both ninja indeed but alas, they were still genin; they were at the very bottom of pecking order of the ninja, being surpassed by chunin , jonin and just about anybody else who wore the ninja headband. Kosei himself didn't care for much of the other genin, believing that most of them were weak and would end up dead anyway. He didn't think much of the boy walking with him either.

Why were these boys out here in the pouring rain though? The answer was simple, the two young boys were headed out to go train. This was one of the only times Kosei liked being around other people, albeit he would be punching their face in. Combat was the best way to get to interact with him, when he was younger he was probably the least social kid in the class,always quiet but when he did speak it was just some smart ass remark. Kosei didn't like people and people didn't like him, but he was okay with that as long as they didn't get in his way of his goal...power. It was a dangerous thing to strive for, but without strength how can you protect yourself? Thats how Kosei saw it anyway.

The boy kept shaking, shooting a glance at the genin beside him until he noticed something in the distance, of course he couldn't make it out due to the pouring rain but Kosei didn't want to take the chance of being ambushed. He shot his arm out in front of his teammate and halted his own pace "You see that?" He asked in a low quiet voice, however loud enough for the boy to hear him in the rain.

Neiro propped his collar up with both hands, hoping to shield himself from more of the cold air blowing in his face. It was at this time that he was very thankful to be wearing gloves, as the weather conditions on this day weren’t very applicable. He then glanced over to his left, at his partner. The two hadn’t done so much as utter a single word to each other since they left the village. ‘training’ he said. Neiro scowled beneath his high collar. The boy accompanying him was Kosei Kaguya, a fellow genin from the Kumogakure academy, and a close combat specialist.

Even though he didn’t speak much, most knew the name of Kosei Kaguya. After all, no matter how quiet you are, when it’s known that you’re of the Shikotsumyaku bloodline, all eyes are on you. Though he wasn’t among the students that frequently tormented Neiro, he did nothing to prevent it either. He was always there. Silently watching from the back of the class. Always so smug. Who the hell does he think he is? And now here he is again, wanting to train with the genin that has one of the lowest taijutsu scores in the academy. He had to be up to something.

It's fine though, because Neiro had something up his sleeve as well... Literally... Poison. It's his poisons.

Up until now, no one in his class had seen Neiro’s new Oiled Fists fighting style. A combat style devoted to avoiding strikes, tripping the opponent and using hit-and-run tactics to administer his toxins, then get out before they can counter. His scowl grew into a small smirk as he imagined the respect he’d get for defeating Kaguya, Kosei in straight one on one battle. No one would ever doubt him again, or his toxins.

“You see that?” A low voice spoke up, snapping Neiro out of his fantasy as an arm shot out in front of him. Neiro’s brow furrowed as his eyes tried to lock on to the black figure in the distance. The man appeared short. Shorter than he was, which is surprising considering how often Neiro was picked on because of his size. He didn’t seem to have any wares on him, so he wasn’t a trader. His garb also didn’t evoke any feelings of a conventional farmer. No protection at all from the elements aside from his black coat. It’s been raining all day, and the average man wouldn’t want to be caught dead in a freezing shower such as this without the very least bringing some better protection, such as a hat or a heavier coat. A ninja was always taught to be wary and observant, and right now something seemed off. Two shinobi and a mysterious stranger standing alone in the woods with freezing rain pouring down among them? It was beginning to feel like the start of bad a horror story your father would tell you while out camping.

”Yeah, Hold on…” Neiro said flatly before ducking under the other boy’s arm and taking a few hurried strides towards the mysterious individual. “Hey, traveler! What brings you to this part of the woods?” He called out in a friendly, yet inquisitive tone to the man as soon as he was within kunai-throwing distance. If he was indeed just a normal traveler, it was best not to arouse any suspicion with wild accusations before he even got the chance to see the man’s face.

The world turned. Aldomaru saw the approaching individuals and their pause, including the first barring the path of the second with their arm. If Aldomaru was watchful of their actions before, now he was nervous. At this distance he could not hear their words exchanged but he was positive it was something about him from the direction they were angled. Muscles tensed in anticipation as the second ducked under the arm of the first, bringing himself within an arms throw of Aldomaru before coming to a stop.

Quickly, tactics went through the mind of Aldomaru before the boy before him spoke up.

"Hey Traveler, what brings you to this part of the woods?"

The question was simple enough, but it still had the Uchiha boy on edge. They appeared the same age, but appearances were deceiving. Hand still firmly gripping his wakizashi, Aldomaru let the rain fall between them for a long period as he watched the pair for any signs of hostility. If he acted now he could probably surprise the guy in front of him before assaulting the one who had initially barred the path. The wind cut through the path, blowing his overcoat sideways and revealing the katana on his hip while further blocking the view of his Wakizashi on his other side.

"I'll ask you once to identify yourself, at that point I'll consider you a threat to Kumogakure."

It was a barely veiled threat, Aldomaru was not the type to mince words needlessly. His eyes kept both strangers within view, careful not to focus too strongly on one lest he lose the other in the rain. He was more than ready for conflict but he'd be damned to be taken by surprise when the odds were already stacked against him. He waited in the rain, for conflict or identification.

Kosei , who had stopped dead in his tracks looked as the boy ducked beneath his arm and continued on. "What does this idiot think hes doing?" Kosei thought has a thought of confusion and anger began to take over him a bit. What if this figure had been some kind of dangerous ninja from a foreign land here to scout the area, or perhaps just take the village head on, which would be worse because that could mean one of two things. 1 this ninja was incredibly dangerous and COULD take the village on by himself or 2 this ninja was incredibly insane to think he could take on the village by himself and just settle for killing two genin. Like Kosei would let something like that happen, there was no way he would go out like that. Kosei continued to walk until he was beside his companion again.

"Hey Traveler, what brings you to this part of the woods?"

"....Why dont you just invite him into the village.." Kosei thought, as he looked to the boy who had been before them, in fact they all seemed to be the same age. Kosei would remember his face if they had been in the academy together , but this face seemed unfamiliar, of course the weather didn't help. As the wind blew between the two boys and the stranger before them Kosei's eyes locked on to something, a katana. His eyes quickly snapped to where the boys hand was however it was concealed. All Kosei could think right now was "idiiot." Kosei began to shift where he was standing , digging his feet into the mud until he found the solid ground, if there was going to be conflict he was going to be ready, it may have been to late for his teammate. "Ugh how could he let his guard down..." After his quick scan his eyes locked on to the strangers Kosei had cold eyes, as cold as the climate around the, they just stared at him waiting for any sudden movements.

The heavy rain continued to fall as the group stood in silence. The only sounds that permeated the area was the rough splatter of water against the cold ground, and the howl of the sheer wind blowing through the trees around them. Each person watched the other for the slightest hint of a hostile movement, poised and ready for an attack. Neiro was no exception to this. Even though he may have approached the individual in an easygoing manner, he was no less suspicious of the cloaked man than Kosei was. However, he wasn’t about to attack someone just because they looked suspicious. Kumogakure was a big village with people coming and leaving all the time. He had to confirm the man as an enemy before he could justify attacking him.

Still, a ninja is always prepared. Behind his back, he had emptied the contents of an oil bomb onto his hands. In the darkness with all the rain, he had hoped that the extra liquid falling from his back would go unnoticed. In these harsh weather conditions, oil would be necessary for him to be able to start a fire with his heated touch technique.

In the next moment, a particularly harsh gust of wind blew by revealing the weapon stored at the stranger’s side. Neiro’s eyes narrowed onto it. His worries were soon becoming a reality. When the man finally spoke up, with the wind blowing in Neiro’s ears the message he delivered was distorted. The sole thing that Neiro picked up on, was a single key phrase.

"threat to Kumogakure.”

That was all the validation Neiro needed. “KOSEI, BACK!” He called out! Within the instant, Neiro ripped a shikenkan from his pouch with his left hand, and formed a single seal with his right while leaping backwards.  “Hageshii Tacchi no jutsu!” he called out as his left hand was engulfed in a bright fire. Fueled through the rain by the oil he drenched his hands with earlier. Before he even touched the ground, he tightly clenched the vial of green liquid in his hand before tossing it with an underhanded throw at his enemy. This superheated the chemicals inside enough for them to explode in mid-air into a large, green, infectious smoke.

“This should stun him. Whatever you do, stay away from my smoke Kosei!” He said, calling out to his partner while drawing another test tube filled with green liquid.

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The rain continued to fall and the chuunin’s cloak had settled back to enshroud his form, the other boy coming to catch up with his partner while Aldomaru spoke to him. The boy seemed distracted, perhaps by the glimpse at the katana on his hip, but the Uchiha’s eyes widened as the boy reacted and cried out into the rain.

”KOSEI, BACK!”

Snapping into action at the sound of the boy’s voice screaming to his comrade, screaming a name that seemed awfully familiar to Aldomaru for some reason, the Uchiha boy relied entirely upon his speed in order to overcome this pair of miscreants. For whatever reason, the pair were skittish to the fact that he was a shinobi and one of Kumogakure and he would need to fully interrogate them to discover the source of their fear. In a blur of movement he did draw his Wakizashi in a standard reverse grip, the blade resting along the length of his forearm as it unleashed a brilliant flash of blinding light towards the pair of attackers. Aldomaru only managed to keep his own eyes shielded by the careful placement of his arm so that it would cast a shadow over his face while hopefully distracting and blinding the aggressors.

Somewhere in his actions he heard the words of a jutsu being spoken and it curled his lips into a sadistic smile. Whomever he was fighting obviously was new to actual combat and was about to find himself outmatched by a boy who had grown to manhood on the battlefield. Only amateurs and fresh academy graduates still stated their techniques in such a boisterous manner. It meant that at least this one was far from a true combat technician and the Uchiha blood in his veins demanded that he take full advantage of that.

Not one to ever stand still, he rushed forward just as the flash was beginning to fade and levelled his Wakizashi in readiness to thrust from the reverse grip with his free hand on the pommel of the blade. In the moments before his sprint a green cloud had begun to spread across the battlefield, not quite thick enough to block his vision but enough to make him consider his actions in the moment before he crossed that hazy threshold. He held his breath, quick steps up hill leaving him a blur as he vanished into the rain and smog. Relying on the fact that the schmuck who had created this mist was likely blinded by the earlier flash of light, Aldomaru Uchiha came out the other side of the green smoke cloud the veiled assassin as he sought to drive the point of the short sword through the lower stomach of Neiro, specifically aiming for the liver. If all went according to plan the Chuunin would pin the boy to a nearby tree thus eliminating him from the combat equation and leaving Aldomaru to focus fully on the secondary threat.

The other boy appeared much more cautious and less of a threat to the Uchiha, hence his fate was decided secondary. Though the focus was on Neiro, Kosei had not been forgotten and a careful eye watched for peripheral movement in case the instantaneous action happening around the boy did not distract him enough and he tried to save his friend from this less-than-lethal fate. One thing at a time, first the smoke boy then his accomplice; a rainy day was about to become bloody.

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Kosei was already into position, He was also about to charge right in and attack however he was soon warned by his partner. "KOSEI, BACK" he heard. As he heard this he instinctively pushed off the ground, having already found the sturdy ground beneath the mud. Beneath the long sleeves of his robe, ten thins were going on, ten very small but sharp and fast things. On each of his finger tips bones were beginning to poke their way out , so as he leaped back Kosei waved his arms horizontally quickly shooting out ten high powered bullets that traveled a little bit faster than a thrown kunai. These bullets were all aimed at the stranger, more specificly his mid section, such as his chest and stomach. As he gained distance he began to lose sight of Niero and the stranger, what he did see was a cloud of smoke and then a bright flash.

"Agh, damn"

Even through the heavy rain and the darkness that separated them, Kosei caught a glimpse of the flash, which made his vision go blurry, of course the effects would probably have been much worse had he been closer and the weather had been clearer. This was not good, now he was vulnerable but he wasn't out quite yet. Kosei made three quick hand signs as two regular clones appeared on each side of him, the least he could do was lessen the odds of the real him getting attacked while he was like this. The first clone ran forward , directly to the stranger and where the smoke had been. The second clone stayed by Kosei however they began to walk to the sides getting away from each other . There wasn't much Kosei could do for his teammate right now but he did not forget about him.


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The man moved like a blur. By the time Neiro’s shikenkan was in the air, half of the distance between them had already been covered. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Could all ninja move this way? He never had the chance to see his parents in combat. If this is how shinobi move in real, serious combat situations, then Neiro had a sinking feeling that he would be in trouble. Mere moments after, his eyes were assaulted by a bright flash. Far brighter than any chemical explosion that he’s ever seen.

His eyes burned. He instinctively shifted his body to the side to avoid looking directly into the light, eyes tearing up as he frantically blinked them to restore his vision, but to no avail. The damage had already been done. He was blinded. Panic quickly set in as he came to realized what had happened. Is this permanent? Has his life as a ninja been tragically cut short within his very first encounter? He soon had a grim reminder that this wasn’t going to be the worst thing that could happen to him on this rainy evening.

Neiro panicked. Clenching the object in his left hand tightly, His right arm quickly shot up to form another one-handed seal. Burning through the last traces of oil left on his glove, his right hand was engulfed in another fierce flame. The test tube in his hand exploded again from the intense heat and pressure. Effectively filling the area again in a thick cloud of his potent toxins. Yet still, it would seem that yet again this would not deter his enemy.

Directly in front of him, he could hear the flapping of the man’s cloak through the wind. Did this shinobi honestly run straight through his poison? There couldn’t have been enough time for him to change trajectory and move around it. If he had indeed moved directly through it, then he would have definitely been affected by the toxins within the green smoke. After all, tear gas assaults the mucous membranes within your body. Unless he was wearing a mask or developed an immunity to the stuff like Neiro had, then it would have at least irritated his senses. Possibly even causing his vision to temporarily blur and throw off his perception of depth.

Through the smoky haze around him, Neiro let out a loud cry as he felt a sharp pain penetrate through his left shoulder. This was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Involuntary tears filled his eyes as he clenched his teeth and gripped the penetrated area with his left hand. His fingertips lightly touching the silver blade of the weapon that’s pierced his flesh and embedded itself into the tree behind him. With a few expletives slipping through his teeth behind the gurgled grunts of pain, he was scared. Scared that this was the end.

Hopefully Kosei would fare a better chance. With the poison having erupted at a near point-blank range, his opponent was sure to be caught in it’s infectious gasses this time. Neiro may be temporarily out of commision, but this would at least give Kosei a fighting chance against this deadly shinobi.

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The thunk of steel biting into the bark and green wood of tree overcame the constant dissonance surrounding the pair, Aldomaru’s lips splitting into a grin as he finds purchase in his opponent’s shoulder. It wasn’t what he desired, but it would hold for the moment and allow him a chance to handle the boy’s partner without interference from Neiro. Even small victories came at a cost though, a fact that was proven by both the watering in his eyes, the nausea in the pit of his stomach and the blood he felt running down his shoulder. He grimaced, the pain still buried under his willpower to a dull throbbing heat.

Somewhere between the stabbing, the cursing, the green smoke and the expletives uttered by Neiro; Aldomaru had been injured. It was likely the bone bullets which had done the damage, having been fired at the start of his charge and tearing a hunk of flesh or two off of his shoulder. It was painful but far from life threatening and nothing that required immediate attention. Still, it was bothersome and the fact that it was compounded with the sudden pain in his eyes and throat made it a real handicap. He coughed, the hot breath of his agitated throat and nose turned to a mist in the cold of the rain. This was going to be incredibly agitating.

At his current range, with the rain and the blurred vision from whatever he had inhaled, he could only make out the silhouette of the boy apparently named Kosei. Tactics and scenarios flickered through his head in an instant, almost causing him to lose focus as a silhouette of Kosei came rushing towards him. Almost in a panic did the chuunin Uchiha respond, drawing a kunai with his good hand and putting the blade forward and attempting to sever head from neck of the silhouette and allow for a gruesome bloodbath. Aldomaru stumbled, taking a step to catch himself as his knife passed through empty air. Clones were a trick of academy students, usually avoided or ignored quite easily but obviously circumstances had left him somewhat vulnerable.

Charging in recklessly uphill towards an entrenched opponent was never an intelligent decision, and Aldomaru was smart enough to realize that doing so would leave him quite vulnerable in this weather and terrain. With his proximity to Neiro, a terrible idea came to mind. He took a step back, out of reach of Neiro still and ready to spring to action should his captive grow too restless. Blurred vision or not, he could still pretty easily fling his kunai SOMEWHERE into the trapped shinobi should the urge take him.

”I’m only going to ask you this once, then your ally and teammate dies. Come out from the woodlands and come here UNARMED. You are to surrender or he is to die. I’m pretty okay with either option.”

The words were raspy, choked with mucus and pain as the poison took effect. It was annoying and quite debilitating with the weather, but overall Aldomaru was surviving his experiences with the green mist. Now he had a hostage, the upper hand, and an idea of how to deal with these two. Worst case scenario, he ended up killing this boy and the other would be hunted down as he got closer to the village gates. Aldomaru simply waited, ready for whatever would come next.

The rain continued to pour just as hard as it did when it started, the wind howled. Kosei looked to the clone beside him, it had seemed that the ninja was going to stay where he was and take Neiro as a hostage. In most situations Kosei wouldn't care "Dumbass...How useless can you get?" He thought. In the academy Kosei was always taught the mission comes first, no matter what.  The rain continued to pour, it was loud and it was still just as hard to see as before, the tension was high. An expression just as cold as the rain that fell above, looked into the darkness.

The clone looked back at Kosei as if waiting for an order, Kosei returned the look with a glare. It was now or never. One of them began to walk forward, the other ran around into the brush.
Now from where Neiro and Aldomaru were , they would see Kosei come from the darkness, hands up in the air not saying a word with a look of disappointment. Hopefully this clone was doing its job, that's right it was the second clone Kosei had made from before posing as the real boy standing there as if he were willing to negotiate.  The real kosei went through the brush sticking to the shadows, movements being muffled by the rain pouring down. With the gas affecting the Chuunin it would have seemed as if the boy was surrendering and with this rain the smoke was most likely dissipated.

This is when Kosei would make his move from behind using his above average speed to come up behind the chunin quickly and silently as possible, hopefully with an opening with him being distracted. Kosei would attempt to put his arms under the chunins then lock his hands together behind the boys head, pulling him into a full nelson. If this worked he wouldn't be able to move his arms, not well enough to throw a kunai anyway. If this plan were to work he wouldn't stop there, he would take this time to use his clans unique ability Yanagi No mai. This ability gave members of his clan the skill the manipulate their bones, and with the boy right behind the chunin he would begin to shoot his own spiked ribs out from his body and into the back of the chunin, the spikes were not aimed near anything vital nor would they need immediate attention, but it would hurt.  

By this point if his plan had worked he would be breathing , body sore and cold, shivering. He didn't have much protection, just his robe and pants, he could feel half his chakra was depleted. If he made it out of this alive, he would need to rest...IF he made it out of this...
"Even if you kill us....the other Kumogakure ninja will be after you.." He stated growing tired physically. Kosei showed no fear but deep down he hoped this would end soon.


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Neiro grit his teeth. Pinned down and held at kunai-point as a useless hostage. To think that after all his work and effort, all his training. The sweat and blood that he poured into becoming a ninja of science... A Ninja that could change the the world!... After everything, he was still a pathetic weakling, dragging his team down. It was then that the man spoke, offering Kosei an ultimatum to surrender. Neiro simply shook his head.

“Kosei! Just leave me and escape back to Kumoga! It’s not worth us both getting killed!” Neiro called out into the darkness. He was afraid to die, but his pride as a shinobi wouldn’t allow him to let his comrade surrender himself like this. His head sank as he saw a figure approach from the darkness. “Kosei, don’t…” he mumbled, feeling utterly useless. Then something caught his eyes in the shadows.

It was the real Kosei! Sneaking behind and grabbing the other ninja in a full nelson, it was genius work! Seizing the opportunity, he quickly formed a seal with his left hand, allowing the opposite hand that was still drenched with oil to conflagrate as he reached into his back pocket and withdrew a test tube full of his Anesthetic Haze tonic. “Hageshii Tacchi no jutsu”  He grunted before crushing the tube in his hand in a puff of blue smoke.

He took a deep breath. His body soothed as the numbing agent already began to take affect. Within seconds, the pain in his shoulder was completely neutralized. He was almost ready to let out a content sigh of relief, but now was not the time to relax. With a grunt of effort, he hopped his legs into the air and placed them firmly on the trunk of the tree where he stood trapped. Then, also placing his hands on the trunk behind him, he used his strength to push himself off. Dislodging the sword from the bark and painlessly springing himself forward a few feet.

“Kosei, you clever bastard…” He smiled, Leaving the sword in it’s place as removing it would just cause unnecessary bleeding that he didn’t have time to mend. “One of us should report this to the captains back in Kumoga. They’ll want to hear about this.” He said as he withdrew one kunai and another test tube filled with a light green oil, spreading it's contents across the blade. "But first... What should we do with this guy? Interrogation?"

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The fool had revealed himself, a silhouette in the rain appearing in the blurred vision of Aldomaru as he snapped into action. These two had already proven with their previous illusion that he had absolutely no reason to trust this surrender, nor would he actually accept any surrender from these boys that didn't end with them still conscious. He crossed the distance effortlessly in the rain, feet finding solid purchase on the muddy path. He felt his cloak almost get caught on something as he traversed the difficult terrain. Undeterred, he let out a growl of pain and used his injured arm to not only draw forth the katana from his hip but also draw it across the stomach of the person in front of him.

There was no block, no scream of agony, no resistance of flesh trying to hold itself together in spite of the pressure of the edged steel that was meeting it. Aldomaru found himself cutting through another clone and it was enough to fully infuriate the Chuunin. The gloves were absolutely coming off. Still mid stroke through the illusion, which had since dispersed, he followed through the strike to face the tree to where he had pinned one of the boys and released the weapon in his right hand.  The Kunai cut through the rain and Aldomaru counted silently in his mind the time it travelled until he predicted where he should detonate it. Unfortunately his aim was off thanks to the blurred vision and he ended up letting the Kunai almost get to far before he spent chakra to detonate the projectile. In the moments just before the explosion, the chuunin Uchiha smiled as his clearing vision caught sight of Neiro's partner.

Almost a meter and a half out from the pinned shinobi there was a violent explosion as an explosive tag detonated in a cloud of noise and fire, likely wounding or harming every person and shrub between Aldomaru and the tree to which his wakizashi had been buried in. It might have been close enough to kill the boy, but secretly Aldomaru hoped it had not if only so that he could be interrogated and dealt with later. After all, his friend was willing to try and save him with this illusionary tactic so the Neiro boy must have some interesting secrets tucked away that Kumogakure could use. With the explosion having erupted and the illusionary shinobi dispersed, Aldomaru switched the katana to his proper hand (his right) and readied to continue the assault. Playtime was over and it was time for him to begin actually dealing with the intruders rather than just out maneuver them.

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The small victory was cut short as soon as the enemy ninja had began to run forward and just out of Kosei's reach. Things had gone from good to bad to very bad very fast. Kosei stopped and slid forward in the mud a bit. "Damn it.." he muttered under his breath. Kosei was out of ideas , he stopped and began to think, now was definitely a bad time to attack, and neiro was in no shape to fight. Then it hit him. Literally, a kunai flew threw the air close to the young genin, his eyes just barely catching on to what was attached to the kunai. Kosei threw his arms up to cover his face as the tag burst into an explosion and send him back landing in the mud, out cold.

Aldomaru smirked, both boys were unconscious in the rain, one pinned to a tree the other lounging in the mud. It was more than time to finish the job and end these two. After all, bodies could hold just as much information as tongues and Aldomaru was not eager to give these two a chance to break out of a prison. They were talented, but not quite up to snuff with a hardened battle veteran like Aldomaru. His ferocious nature and experience on the battlefield were the factors that allowed him a victory today.

He steps towards the fallen pair were careful, should they be faking their injuries. Instead he found himself stepping on something that caused him to reevaluate his actions. Perhaps in their haste they had misinterpreted what he had said. Looking down at the Kumogakure headband in the mud and recognizing it as authentic, Aldomaru could only smile. He tugged his Wakizashi out of the shoulder of Neiro’s shoulder before lifting him and the boy in the mud. They needed the hospital and he needed a massage. Oh, and getting out of the rain would be nice.

With a pair of shinobi on his shoulders, Aldomaru began the trudge home.

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