Spoiler:

The masked man had come to the land hidden in the storm in search of a few things. The large blade on his back was something that would cause heads to turn and if one would look closer they would notice another crossed against his back that was similar in size and then a katana at his hip. The swordsman would walk with no real purpose as the slits in the mask would stay focused forward on the road ahead, he had kept himself out of the majority of the public eye by moving around the out skirts of the small town that was ever close to Boufuu but just out of its range to keep by itself. The shifting winds and rain were...different and it made him think just how horrid it must be for the one's that live here from day to day.

Complete Word Count: 4426 = 440 EXP

It was about mid-day and the air was very warm, much warmer than the day before this; the wind wasn't cool or refreshing and the sun's rays were unrelenting this particular day. It didn't bother Vex, it only served as an annoyance; not something that would make her sad or cause her a slip up in a battle. The annoyance part of the day was her chocolate sticks, they were so thin that this amount of heat was melting them quickly. Ordinarily they were brittle and lasted quite a while in her mouth; this head though, it caused her chocolate sticks to begin to melt and not be able to stay in their straight form.

She spat out one of the warm chocolate sticks and reached into a small paper box in her ninja pouch. She opened the paper box to reveal a dozen or more similar chocolate sticks: all of which were quickly melting under the heat. A scowl crossed her face as she inspected her favorite treats, ruined by the heat and no longer yummy. The taste was probably the same, but she preferred the hard brittle texture of the sticks and couldn't stand the soft, gel-like texture of melted chocolate.

With an exasperated sigh of resignation, she tossed the paper box up in the air and reached over her shoulder to draw a massive rectangular-shaped blade from the "holster" behind her back. One quick movement and the paper box was sliced cleanly in half and the melted chocolate fell against the ground. Vex inspected Wrath, her favorite sword- not a single smudge of chocolate was on the blade, a wonderful cut it was indeed. She returned the sword to its holster, nothing more than a metal loop widened and flattened just enough to slide the thick blade through, all the way up to the hilt of the blade.

Wrath was much too large and unconventional of a weapon for Vex to find a proper sheathe for it, so moth of the time; she kept it wrapped tightly in white bandages. The sword was five foot in length and a foot wide in width, the blade itself was well over 1/4th an inch thick and the square tip of the sword nearly touched the ground as she walked. She didn't fear being cut by the blade, often times while training with her father, she had cut herself until she learned to shoulder the sword on the same side as Chistity. Chastity was much wider and was fairly flat, its surface protected Vex from the sharper blade, it acted like another line of defense against the bulky sword.

Chastity itself was a giant uchiha fan with bladed edges, it had elaborate markings on both sides of the fan and a long handle that split the fan blades right down the center. The handle of both weapons were wrapped in bandages for added grip, but Chastity had a black chain that could attach to the metal ring at the end of Wrath's hilt- this allowed Vex to effectively wield both weapons without losing her grip.

Vex turned her attention to her surroundings to ignore her now perpetual scowl and bad mood; she needed to find something to do. Chewing on the chocolate sticks was what helped calm her nerves, ever since she had wielded Wrath, her emotional state was always fluctuating with bouts of violence: chocolate sticks were her vice.

She recognized she was on the outskirts of Boufuugakure, she hadn't even realized she left the main area and was now walking about near the edges of the village she had come to live in since she had killed her father. She was curious to see how this little village had changed since her father and her had been here in the past. Last time the two of them had slaughtered the villagers and left no survivors, it was a curious thing to see strangers living in someone else's places. She could still vividly see the dying facial expressions of the previous villagers.

Both hands went up to her head as she fought a spell of insanity, a low grunt escaped her mouth that would have normally been a roar of outrage. Her body lowered till it was nearly doubled over, she was squatting on the ground and holding her head as if she was blocking out the screams of the dying.

Shut up! I don't want to hear that from you right now!

She was making a small commotion inside the small village and the closest villagers backed away from her, mostly out of fear; but some out of respect because they understood she was struggling with some imaginary demons.

Despite what those villagers thought, Vex's "demons" weren't imaginary, at least the ever-constant one that tormented her. She was from a special clan, a clan that had a spirit companion since birth and held the user's chakra in a netherworld sort of container. Her "spirit" companion was a crimson orb that stayed close by her, it was in the shape of a ghastly orb that was intangible and had two demonic red eyes and no mouth. The normal eye couldn't see it, only those of her clan and those who had seen death itself could interact with her spirit; though not even Vex herself could touch the spirit.

Oh quiet girl, these people are going to think you're crazy.. oh wait, you are! Ahaha! Talking to a spirit that no one else can see; as far as you know, I'm a figment of your imagination. Tell you what, why don't we kill all of these innocent villagers so that they don't think those bad thoughts about you. Hmm?

His words rang truth in her ears, but she wouldn't obey- if she was living in the wild like in the past; she wouldn't have thought twice about it. She was living fairly peacefully in Boufuugakure and didn't want to upset that balance right now. Maybe when she got stronger though. The spirit, was the personification of her weapons, Wrath and Chastity, though Chastity was a quiet thing and Wrath was always violent, loud and overwhelming her senses with the urge to kill and soak in the blood of her foes.

She ignored the urges and didn't bother to respond, she took a deep steadying breathe and stood up from wobbly legs. She lowered her hands from her head and looked around harshly at the villagers who were still watching her. If looks could kill, they would all be dead. Hell, they still might if they pushed her the wrong way.

---

Wrd count- 1100

The masked man's mask would continued to stare forward with no actual target or objective in mind. Under his Ouraboros cloak, he wore a black long-sleeve top that also covers his neck and chin, a pair of black gloves, and a pair of dark-coloured pants along with the standard Oura shoes and white stirrups. He had started to move forward till something had caught his attention that was, for a lack of better words, different. There was the sounds of commotion but silent in its making, as if trying not to show too much fear that would cause a wild animal to snap and attack.

He moved just enough from behind a small home to look around its corner to see just what the commotion was all about. The first thing that he would take note of was the remains of some sort of treat that had been cut down by some poor individual but it was a very clean cut. The man would then look up to let his attention fall onto the target of all the attention which would be first the cascade of white hair. Then the handle of a blade that was resting on the back of the maiden's back with the addition of a giant fan of sorts.

This solidified his grasp on the situation as he would then think of just what kind of person this female was for she surely wasn't a passerby. The sword on her back looked interesting enough and he wondered just how it would fair in battle but going up and taking the blade would draw too much attention and negativity for his liking. But he could not simply pass up the chance at taking a closer look. He began to step out from behind the building and began to make his way toward the girl, softly pressing aside anyone whom might obscure his path to the newly found female.

Despite her fragile mental state, Vex was a young woman who thought she was superior to everyone around her. Looking at these worried individuals who were watching her carefully out of fear- made her feel like she were looking down on ants; or maybe that they were looking up at a god. She straightened her back and tried her best to look dignified, but a wry half-psychotic smile was spread across her face. Truly she looked psychotic with a broken mind.

In her mind though, it mattered little of what people thought about her, except that they had no right to look down on her- a mistake she quickly would rectify with any "unbelievers" Even now, she was looking for someone who might be looking down on her; she glanced around with hungry eyes, always out to prove her worth. Defeating one villager or maybe two wouldn't be that big of a problem, she could squeeze her way out of a situation even if she "accidently" killed one of them. Her swords were enough to ward away most unwanted looks though, all of the villagers pretended to be doing their work or just straight-up looked at the ground. No one would match her stair.

Then it was him. He was an unusual site, he were odd colored and designed garbs but looked like an important person. If he was staring her down, she couldn't tell- his face was hid behind a mask. Vex could only guess that he was a swordsmen because of the beautiful sword he had strapped across his back- which very much resembled Wrath, except Wrath's tip was square. She wanted that sword. Lucky for her, his movements were headed straight in her direction, he was even casually pushing villagers out of his way so he could have a direct path to her.

His mask never left her, she was certain his beady eyes were locked onto her; the nearest villagers understood something was about to go down and they began to back away. Cautiously at first, but some of them broke into a dead run as Vex put one of her hands casually on the long hilt of Wrath. Her spirit, Wrath began to laugh his usual psychotic glee as he understood what she was thinking. He was a fundamental part of her own soul and connected to her emotions on a spiritual level, she could hide nothing from him and he always knew the best way to incite her bloodlust.

Look at that shinobi, he's coming after you for making a fool of yourself earlier. If only you had slaughtered them all earlier, this ninja wouldn't dare to approach you without bowing with his mask in the dirt first.

Vex's grip tightened on the hilt of Wrath so much that her knuckles whitened, her stance lowered to the ground with her legs tensed and ready to pounce. He was just a shinobi after all, no need to get his name or why he was there. Shinobi lived to die by her swords, that was their only goal; to bathe her in their life-liquid and revitalize her beautiful white hair. Her white eyes glared dangerously at the shinobi as he neared her, another step closer and she would pounce on him.

He stepped closer. Up came Wrath in one quick movement and out wide to her right side as she leapt into the air. She would strike at him from the side with her large sword Wrath and he would likely block her strike with his own sword. In that instantly, she would use the reversed kinetic energy mid-ar and draw out Chastity and slice him completely in half vertically with the fan's sharp edges. Her spirit roared with her and provoked her aggressive state.

Yes, YES! Bathe in his blood!

---

Word count- 635

The masked man had did what he could to move the individuals out of his path, each person was understanding enough to know that the man that was laying hands on them was doing it out of courtesy and so there was no complaints, at least, not from him. The crowd slowly began to move away from him regardless and some even broke out into full out runs to escape the on coming storm. His attention would bring itself fully to the woman that had now reached back to take hold of the blade on her back.

This was a trigger. His hand brought itself up to reach over his shoulder to take hold of his own blade, the Kubikiribōchō, his Guillotine Sword. A sword left behind by the seven sages and a treasure in his own eyes for its beautiful way it drew blood. It was like stepping on a land mine as soon as his footfall came down to rest on the ground, she had lunged at him, the massive hunk of metal came swinging itself at him to which he would pull his sword out to the side to intercept the sword strike as he had to steady himself and his footing to keep his position.

But the attack was not over as she would bring forth the fan. It would seem that it was not something to be used on hot days but was more the 'cut-your-enemies' kind of blade. The white haired woman aimed to cut him down the middle but was met instead with the sound of metal as his other hand had reached over his shoulder to take hold of the other blade that rested itself on his back as the veins in his arms under the cloth would become dark as night as the sword would raise against the fan and block it, both his swords then pushing against her weapons as he would aim to slash at her weapons and her with his own sword, aiming to draw blood. The use of the blood jutsu further increasing the power of his swings and not diminishing the strength from either sword at their attempt to strike the woman.

Jutsu:

Her battle cry was cut short when this stranger managed to block both of her swords, not something most people could do without first bathing her in some of their blood. She had expected an easy win and a victory cry not long after her initial strike; instead it turned into a yelp of surprise as the stronger exerted strength far above that of a normal human. He pushed back violently against both of her own weapons with his and attempted to draw her blood. This was a game of first blood. A game involving giant swords and exceptional sword skills, a game that could easily end with one blow.

Since all four weapons were locked in a cross-fire, Vex used this to her advantage. Sparks shot up from Wrath and electrocuted the swords and the hands connecting to them; of course this was Vex's jutsu and didn't bother her. Though her opponent might not fair so well, she let the momentum of the strong shove carry her backwards- she tightened her forearms and let the blades carry her along their intended path instead of stopping her and cutting into her.

Her opponent would be shocked in both hands from the jutsu and experience muscle numbness for a short while: it hadn't been a direct contact so he wouldn't suffer any burns, but he was sure to be more careful on coming into contact with her. The momentum carried her backwards and she landed on her knees, she quickly picked herself up and steadied her center of balance as she maintained a safe distance from her victim. He possessed an unusual level of strength and swordsmen ability- she was jealous of his sword skills and wanted to kill this man to prove she was better. And then she would take his sword for her own.

Who are you, stranger? Tell me the name of the shinobi I will be killing; I'd be delighted to know if there is a bounty on your head.

Wrath cackled in laughter as he tormented her.

Haha! You just got shown up by some lowly maggot! Let's cut him down and keep slicing and slicing until he isn't recognizable anymore! Ahahha!

She couldn't agree more with Wrath right now, more than anything; she wanted to cut him down and hack away at his corpse until every inch of her was covered in his blood.

---

Word Count- 400

jutsu:

Remaining chakra-90

The masked man would fend himself against the attack with his swords but what seemed to be the odd thing was there was an odd electric sensation. His hands tightened automatically around the handle of his swords as he forced her away from his own location as the edges of his blades would come to meet the ground but kept them tight in his hands. He would slowly turn his attention down to his left arm and then look back in the direction of the female ninja.

She would bring herself up to her full posture and then call him out, speaking of what his name was prior to her taking his life. He would roll his shoulders. He would then lean forward and water would jolt from  under his feet as he would cut across the ground between them, closing the gap almost instantly with Kubikiribōchō aiming to strike first and Ketsuekigasu coming in behind it for an added and powerful assault as he would speak in the midst of the run "I wear a mask to keep my name hidden. If you are truly interested in seeing if I have a bounty, show me your skills."

Spoiler:

If her attack had had any effect on the stranger, it wasn't apparent to Vex. Her eyes darted about a little to notice the villagers now fleeing in terror at the battle of the two shinobi; there weren't a lot of villagers here, but she didn't want to have anyone interfere with her much enjoyed fight.

She noted him roll his shoulders and lower his positioning somewhat- he was planning something seriously offensive, she could only guess. Semasu lowered herself in a crouch as well and narrowed her eyes at the masked man. Wrath came up in front of her and began to glow crimson. The glow faded shortly and then Vex's eyes began to turn red and look demonic. Her white hair became erratic and spiky instead of long and straight, her appearance was a large contrast to her normal beautiful look. Now she looked like a wild battle maiden with demon's blood.

A roar escaped her lips, the sound of it caused near towns people to reach for the ears automatically and their blood felt like it had frozen. The roar was much more monstrous than what a normal human should have been capable of, especially not something coming out of a beautiful women's lips. As the masked man leapt towards her with the bolstered jump, Vex returned the gesture, but more more drastic.

Vex was a berserker, when she was serious about killing someone- she used her sword's power to increase her own attributes by two ranks. No longer was her attributes considered "genin" but at least Jounin. Her STR was A Rank, SPD was A Rank, END B Rank, INT B Rank & BLM was B Rank. Her speed was quite faster than previously and would be very difficult for her opponent co compensate for the distance being closed too fast, or that her strength was considerably strong as twice her weight.

She dashed after the masked man at 40mph with a momentum of over 200lbs swing in her weapons. A stray, panicked man crossed her path as she closed the distance towards Lee quickly; he was merely a maggot crossing her path. She didn't evade him, she charged right through him. Blood and gore splattered all over her as his corpse exploded from the flurry of her unnaturally large weapons and smelled burnt from the electrical charge in her weapons. Her attack hadn't slowed down as she reached Lee: if there was anything she would have replied to the masked shinobi's response, it was lost in the roar of her bloodrage and the clash of weapons.

Her bolstered attributes would be difficult to navigate and counter without a matching level of skill and attributes. Now she could easily counter against the stranger's very large  and even deflect it backwards. She blocked it with Chastity and sliced across Kubikiribōchō with her similar sword Wrath. Whether Kubikiribōchō could withstand the physical assault of her own sword and increased strength, vex didn't know- but her opponent's other sword would likely suffer damage: it didn't seem to be quite as exceptional a weapon as the Kubikiribōchō Vex wanted so much.

"Locking" their weapons again was only part of Vex's goal, this time she would reverse the momentum of the attack and do exactly what the masked shinobi had attempted to do to her previously, except this time she possessed the greater strength and speed. She locked the blades and crossed them as she pushed hard against him, seeking to draw the blood from his body and bathe her in more blood. She was already covered in blood from the victim who had crossed her path, her white hair was tinged with crimson and her pale skin was dyed in the red life liquid. Even her face was covered in the blood and her red demonic eyes glared hungrily at her opponent. She roared again, fully expecting a just rewarding shower of blood for this assault.

Her spirit roared with her in a psychotic frenzy.

Yes, YES! Feel the blood on your skin, feel your blood boiling!~

---

Word Count- 677

Spoiler:

Chakra remaining: 55

The sword glowed. That was one of the main things that the masked man had taken noticed of at first. Then the outer appearance of his opponent had began to change as well, an almost un-ethereal aura followed by a blood lust roar. He had made his motion and on his first step, the water from under his foot burst out from it to propel himself further forward at a quicker and unseen pace. He would then ski across the land with water cutting a path before him to his foe. But it would seem that at the same time, she would have a similar idea.

She moved at him at a quick pace as well and possibly faster, no, she was faster. A human being had made the unfortunate mistake of coming out between them and was torn asunder before his eyes, the blood soon covering the girl as she had met him midway but his attack had not changed, it was only done sooner rather than the few moments later.

The main thing he had taken notice of was the blood on her weapons that began to burn and sizzle, it had to be the reason he had felt the shock from earlier. He had committed to his actions and would not sway from them as her weapons would come to aid her yet again as both his weapons would collide with her own but thanks to his own bloodline limit increasing his own strength in his arms, the resulting blast between the weapons would surely echo themselves far. The force of his strike though would surely be felt as the forward momentum of both his sword striking in such quick succession would move her from her position as he would receive yet another electrical jolt from his foe that would cause his muscles to tighten.

Her retort came quick and fierce and powerful. What was with this sudden change, she was not this fast nor this strong when he first encountered her or was he simply underestimating her from the beginning? He was aiming to cut her straight in half but he not only halted his advance but his strike as well with what looked like pure rage alone. Though, once locked, he watched as she moved her own massive weapon with such tenacity that made him start to rethink his own strategy.

She crossed her blades and things were looking mighty familiar as he was now on the opposing side of things. With her might and blades she would aim to mimic his earlier actions as he would do the same. The only difference was that due to the electrifying effects of her current jutsu, he was not able to do as he entirely wished as the jutsu was still in effect. He had let the force push him back but he found that the blade would still come into contact with his person, a 'X' shape gash would cut itself into his own chest and tear the clothes torn to shreds.

This was surely a problem child that he had not fully understood....but he wanted too. It was just so fascinating to have such a woman before him, such out of place beauty with such a weapon, it was someone that he would surely aim to get as in mid air, he spoke "Kirigakure no Jutsu." and as if to come to his aid, the area around them would quickly and abruptly be shrouded in a mist that seemed to only grow thicker by the moment as he would use this as the start of his offensive.

Spoiler:

Whether it had been intentional or not of using the Shindosachi, no one knew- Vex had just entered the berserk stage and didn't care about anything else. The endueing reaction had caused her great pleasure as she had pused firmly against her foe and was rewarded by a moderate splatter of blood on her skin. She roared in a gleeful rage as she witnessed the red "X" appear on her prey; the roar quickly escalated into another roar of rage as her opponent suddenly hid himself from view with a mist technique.

She had fully expected her foe to be lying in at least four pieces by now and bathed in his blood; she wanted his swords and couldn't even have those now! She roared again and looked vainly into the mist, her rational was that he was likely still somewhere directly ahead of her where he was probably nursing his fresh wounds. She lowered Wrath and dashed forwards at great speed while wielding her fan blade as a shield behind her exposed back. She was at a large disadvantage in this mist technique; not only couldn't she see her foe, but her electrified swords crackled with electricity in the air with the sudden increase in moisture.

Whether or not her opponent could sense her, assuredly he could see the bright jolts of lightning even from a moderate distance away. Her only bet was to rush her prey before he could regain his morale and provide an effective counterattack. It was not in her nature to ever be quiet, even now and especially in her bloodrage; a rational foe might avoid movement and be afraid to breathe. Vex was beyond rational though and cared little to be found by her foe- it just meant she could just cut them down sooner if they revealed themselves.

She kept Wrath just upward and the sharp edge leading as she dashed about at a constant 24mph, hoping she would find her prey unsuspecting in the mist.

---

Word count- 333

jutsu:

Remaining chakra-45

Lee had made his way back into the mist and with it, moving out and away from the woman and found himself beside a building, sliding Kubikiribōchō onto his back holster, he would bring his hand up to touch his chest and then look down at the blood that was drawn. It was a cut but it would be something that wouldn't scar and even if that was the case, it would be more helpful than a hindrance but he stopped before thinking any further.

The roaring was not easily blocked out as he would close his eyes and turn his head to the side, as if giving sense to his ears solely. She was on the move but erratic in her running but her location was something that could be pin pointed, even would having to be a ninja. She continued to amaze though this time, not at her prowess but at the simplicity of her. He began to wonder if it was a clone of some sort but surely that could not be the case, the mist was now his domain and though he might not be able to tell the details of the people in it, he knew where they were and she was still there and the blades were still active in their own electrical fashion.

He would have to keep her well entertained and for that, he would hold a hand seal up and from six puddles, rose six versions of the masked man, each wielding the same swords he did. Each one heading off into the mist to meet their fate as he would speak through them "You are a special case, aren't you? Such beauty. Covering yourself in blood makes you just a delicacy. You grow more attractive by the moment and your fighting prowess leaves nothing to be lacked."

He would raise Ketsuekigasu up and then clasp it with both of his hands, tightening his grip on the sword. Slowly, around his own person, the mist began to withdraw, flowing to the sword and seemingly being absorbed by it or to be more precise, into it as more and more mist would be fed into the air to replace it and the cycle would continue. This would surely be something grand, that he would know. He felt the blood trickling down his chest, moving over his stomach and finding its way to his legs. It was a pleasant feel, of his own warm blood. It was the blood of a man that knew the pain of self-inflicted wounds for a higher goal. Of a man that knew the sight of others blood, the taste.

This woman was simply on a feast for the same thing, the only difference being that he did not go on such a war path to get it. He preferred deceit and lies to get what he wanted. To bring forth false friendships and overbearing smiles to those that were looking for them. Those special few that he found that he would use when the time came. This girl did not seem to have the same...skill about her though her way in war was almost on par with his own. This intrigued him highly. What was she? What was in her blood? What kind of sword was that she wielded, the same could be said about the fan.

All of these questions and so little in terms of answers. It was exciting to say the least but her aiming to kill him in her state was in and out of itself, quite the thrill. If he was an honorable man, he would simply fight with sword in hand and which ever of them were to die, would die. But he was not, he was far from it and he would exploit those who were but this woman surely was not playing by any rules that one would deem 'fair'. The poor innocent man that she had ran through was testament to that. He might not be an honor bound man but killing without cause or a means to justify it was something he just could not fathom. If she chose to continue down this path and he would be sure to show her just what kind of bumps it would hold.

One of the clones made its way out to head off the woman, not to strike at her but to simply act as bait. She seemed angry so he would give her something to kill. Another clone would move closer and another after that, each one waiting to take the fall to sate the blood that this creature was after.

Jutsu:

His voice, her prey's voice. It echoed in the mist and seemed to come from several directions; he was toying with her. She tightened the grip on her sword and kept up her brisk pace as she explored the mist in hopes of slicing up the masked man.

Oooho! Look at you! Lost in a silly mist and some mysterious shinobi hunting you down like a predator. So helpless, so weak!

In her frenzied state. Wrath knew exactly how to agitate her, he was especially good at inciting her anger while she was like this- and he knew it. She growled menacingly at the spirit, but it ignored her aggression; she couldn't hurt it. Sticks and stones, sticks and stones. The mist was thick and moist, she liked water.. but not when it was used against her and trying to kill her. She felt helpless in this situation and with little real hope of finding this stranger before she ran out of chakra.

Just when her rage was almost ready to explode again, a shadowy form appeared near in front of her. Whether it was the masked man or some random villager lost in the mist, Vex didn't care. She leapt forward mid-air, Wrath swinging wildly as she roared in thought victory. The shadowy form revealed itself as the masked man, his liquids splashed all over her as her sword cut straight through him. Her satisfaction was short lived as the figure burst into water and fell lifeless to the ground. She stood there dumbfounded for a moment before realizing the nature of her opponent's attacks.

Like I said! He's toying with you, girly! You're so laughable right now!

She let out an anguished scream of outrage at the deception and then tightened her guard about her again, ready for another round of deception. Her prey was smart, taking away her visibility and perception, he had become the hunter and made her the prey.

Another quick movement nearby caught her attention as she watched carefully, then another- two targets moving about in a circular motion. Possibly two water clones, but maybe a clone and the real one? She watched carefully and counted seconds before the two neared close enough for he to strike. As the targets close the distance and crossed paths, Vex jumped forwards and sliced at both of them with Wrath and Chastity. She landed softly behind them and both exploded into water, the water soaked her back and didn't have the right consistency for blood. Again he had tricked her... how long would this continue for?

So far she had killed three clones and not found the real one, nor the general direction of him. Another water clone passed her and tried to cut her off from the front, she stabbed Wrath into the ground and kicked at the clone with the heel of her foot. The strike went straight through and carried her momentum further as she pulled Wrath from the ground with ease. It seemed to her that that clone had been a sort of parameter guard, blocking her path... or maybe herding her like a sheep into the wolf's lair.

She disposed of the next two clones in the same way, but with Chastity this time- she used the electrifying property of the fan to discern that both were indeed water clones. They burst into water as she lopped ones head off and sliced the other in half vertically. Neither of them were solid enough, nor did they smell like burnt flesh. So, six clones had been sent after her; they were very weak in comparison to her worthy prey- but she couldn't help but feel that the clones were a simple part of her opponent's plan. She continued her constant movement with Wrath held up and Chastity behind her, it was the best defensive positioning she could afford at the time.

---

Word count- 648

jutsu:

Remaining chakra- 35

The masked man could see from the current position that he was in but where he lacked in eye sight, he was able to make up with the mist aiding him. The mist currently held him better for the fact of keeping her preoccupied. That along with the water clones would give him more time. She was just a large ball of anger and rage right now but that didn't really give him any sort of insight on how she worked. For all that he knew, she was playing him the fool and waiting for him to make an attack that would end up backfiring on him in the end.

He did not want to kill her, that would be a useless endeavor, nothing good would come of it. If he held the sword she possessed, it would simply become another blade for him but from what he saw, it was not a normal weapon, that was sure. A hunk of iron with locked untold potential was still just a hunk of iron in the end in the hands of someone who could do nothing with it. The safety of all those around them was also a factor to play in this situation. She was surely a missing ninja the way that she ran through the poor individual.

Needless murder was something he was not a fan of but if it was in the goal of a greater venture then he would see the justification in it. He looked to the blade that he held in his grasp as he would then begin to tighten his grip as he would turn his attention to the mist once more as the last of his clones would fade from existence to be replaced by puddles of water. The storm that was closest to the small town area was beginning to move.

The hidden storm was always a village that would cause its own problems. The heat would cause the water to be a moist but humid but as the water would begin to fall in greater amounts, it would come in contact with his sword to which it would seemingly evaporate into the metal of the weapon but it would also being to roll down the hood, leaving the mask dry with the occasional moist droplets coming to come upon it.

"You are just a mass of anger aren't you? What causes you to kill so easily? So quick and so ruthless? How could you have possibly survived this long?" His voice would speak out to her from around her, hiding within the mists confines.

Jutsu:

Using Wrath always increased her potential two-fold, but at a heavy price... her sanity. Where one might rationally hear and understand, comprehend and revise a battle accordingly to the mood and flow of battle: Vex wouldn't, or more precisely... couldn't. In every sense, she was insane while fighting with Wrath's ability active. An ability solely capable through the Xanadu bloodline, a blessing... but more of a curse to her, because of Wrath's heavy price to wield to its full potential.

Why Vex ever used this sword's ability, she had never considered; being insane and possibly killed while in her irrational rage was worth it if she could contend with shinobi way out of her league. She lived for battle, to kill and prove her existence as a shining star in a clear night sky. She wanted to outshine the moon; but tragically and so cliché- the brightest stars always burned out the quickest. She knew subconsciously that she would die a young glorious death, her weapons took a heavy chakra toll on her body as well- as a genin, she could only maintain the ability for about 4 posts straight: afterwards she would be basically useless and helpless in a fight.

This opponent was intelligent, maybe too intelligent: possibly he had figured out that such an increase in power had a specific time restraint. He was using the mist to keep her vicious assaults at bay until she had ran out of chakra!

His voice could be heard through the mist, un-pointable from any direction; but clear enough to understand. Understand for a rational person though, understanding words was not possible while she was insane and in the bloodrage. His words acted as a taunt more than anything, she viewed his interest in her as a way to look down on her and make fun of her. She responded to his question with a shout of rage; her breathe was becoming difficult, she could only maintain the sword's ability for a short time longer. Afterwards, she would still be insane but helpless to fight back... she intended to regain her conscious state before then... but coming back to ones sanity was always a difficult thing!

She stopped her random dashing and lowered her guard, nearly dropping her weapons as she suddenly began an inner-struggle in mid combat. Had her weapons not been linked by the chain around her back, she would have lost contact with them; they remained in her hands and suspended on her shoulders as she grabbed her head and fell to the ground in a fetal position. Her screams this time were a mix of pure rage as well as agony and confusion.

Haha! Can you do it? Can you get your sanity back this time Vexy?

Wrath was taunting her, whether it was for or against her, she wasn't sure- Wrath was an uncontrollable spirit who only enjoyed the fight and didn't care who won. He just wanted a good laugh.

A second spirit appeared suddenly beside Wrath, this one's color was silver and held a calm and mysterious aura about it. Wrath glared at the silver spirit and if looks could kill, Wrath would have killed Chastity a very long time ago.

Vex, slow your heartbeat and control your breathing. You won't be able to control your body's actions if your mind is still not intact.

It suddenly made sense to her, Chastity had a way of communicating with her in the confused state and helping her maintain the balance of sanity and insanity. She stopped struggling suddenly and her body went limp; no longer was she worried about the deadly fight with her mysterious foe, she focused on regaining consciousness. Her breathing slowed and slowly her hands relaxed and moved towards her sides. Her mind stopped racing and she again could see and think her own thoughts, her appearance returned to normal and the psychotic aura disappeared.

She remembered the mysterious shinobi's curious question and was intrigued by it.... how had she survived this long?

I survived by becoming stronger, even at the cost of my own sanity. My father passed on his legacy to me, his curse as well.

She was no longer interested in the fight, all will to fight back was gone. SHe lay on the ground, waiting for her foe to strike her down.

---

Word count- 711

The masked man had a plan in which he would soon bring into fruition but he could not let it happen prematurely. He would keep his distance for the time being and not aim to close the distance between them just yet. It wasn't until she would yell back at his voice, a seemingly noticeable response given her current string of actions. He would slowly begin to raise his sword up, a single hand while the other would form a hand seal when he would give way to pause.

His head would tilt itself just slightly at an arc, the mask following suit as if confused. She had gone silent and stopped her rapid running. He awaited some sort of jutsu to be activated or some sort of trick to be played. A genjutsu in the mist would be fruitless, he heard nothing and there was no movement in his direction that he took note of, the majority of the populace were wise enough to run out of the fog due to their battle, more afraid of what was in the mist and what would happen to the two of them.

He had kept his position for several reasons, the main being that the area in front of him held the female that had seemingly calmed herself. This was something that he himself would let his would-be attack pause as he listened to her when she spoke to him about just how she survived. Something that had to deal with her sanity and her father. Daddy issues. Parents could be the problem for so many but the parents themselves are never around long enough to see what they have created due to the very fact that it would be the creations that see them in.

"You claim that you strive for power, to grow stronger. While that is a track you can go down, you must remember that you are never alone on this path. It is something that many shinobi travel and are willing to do what you have done and worse. Attacking me was an unwise mistake and I do not take kindly to such transgressions."

He would let his head straighten itself out as he would focus more onto his sword as the mist would begin to dim but not be dismissed but lighten its visibility so that she would surely be able to see further from her position but made sure that she would yet to see him. The water from the gathering rain, mist, moister and the larger water sources around the town would come to find themselves around his sword, a spiraling vortex created at the center of the blade. He was, at some way or form, wondering how she would reply to him, if she did at all.

Jutsu:

She sat up as she heard the mysterious man continuing to speak with her, the mist had lessened somewhat to a more visible shade; though it was still difficult to see, she had to squint her eyes to see fully. He was too far out of her eye sight still, but his words were more potent than any jutsu he had used yet. There was a truth in what he said; was he teaching her an important lessen of life?

Perhaps attacking him wildly was not the best option, but she had enjoyed the fight until she had went berserk; admittedly even then some. He had seemed the perfect opponent with some amazing swords, likely he had been drawn to her for similar reasons? She didn't trust others, it was difficult to entrust your life to people you considered to be lesser. This shinobi though... he was capable, intelligent and calm even though he had been facing a raging demon in the guise of a beautiful girl.

I don't regret crossing blades with such a skilled shinobi as you, I respect your skills with the blade and your intelligence in battle. I walk a lonely path towards becoming stronger because I have no one I respect enough to rely on.

She stood up in the fog and spun hastity across her shoulder and sheathed it in the metal rings, then followed with Wrath on top of it. She knew that she was out of her league against such a foe, she had little chakra left and not enough to sustain her rage any further, or produce any jutsu strong enough to turn the tide of battle. In experience and years, this shinobi topped her. While she could shine for a brief time, this masked man continued to outshine her with a simple brilliance. She envied his presence and respected his skills with the blade; perhaps one day she would surpass this shinobi, if she lived past today anyways. She would get his name, or maybe an alias or nickname if he didn't want to reveal his identity.

Before you kill me, know that I am a genin of Boufuugakure: Vex Xanadu. My father was a berserking warrior who haunted these small villages and slaughtered everyone in them from time to time. I succeeded his lineage and weapons after he slew him at his request.

She didn't mind telling this warrior who she was, often she had purposefully avoided telling people who she was, she figured she would die today anyways: she wanted to die without any regrets. At least someone would know who she was when she died, even if many people hadn't learned her name before her death. She stood straight, clenched her fists at her side and waited for her opponent to strike her down. She looked straight forward without blinking or flinching at the thought of being truck down.

---

Word count- 461

The masked man held his sword in the air in such a way that one would think that he was about to drop it in an attempt to cut the very earth itself in half. With the addition of the constant and ever growing vortex that swirl around it would surely only give way to an even greater disaster that was sure to come. But this was something that he was not going to do just at the moment for that would be rude as she spoke to him once more.

Her words would end up  slowly come to make themselves at home in his ears, once there, he would let them rest as, beneath the mask his smile would only grow wider but he would keep in mind that overconfidence has been something that many ninja have died too in the midst of battle. He would bring his single free hand up to his mask with the hand sign still formed.

She would stand to which he would keep his posture and hold it as she would sheath her weapons. He would listen then as she would give way to him, speaking of her rank which, in all reality, was a true surprise to him and that she was not an actual missing-nin to which he was surely lead to believe. Vex Xanadu, the latter name did ring a bell to which to which cruelty and mass murder seemed all too common place but he had never had the pleasure of meeting the man himself face to face and would seemingly never get the chance which in and out of itself brought a bit a disappointment.

"Vex of Boufuugakure..." His voice would speak out once more, making their way to her, his voice growing just a bit clearing in its deliverance as the mist began to lift, it all flowing to one direction, him. "...you will live but you will see the power of a true swordsman and that you will remember my mask for I will see you again and I would like to see your skills in swordsmanship under calmer conditions." And with that, he would let the sword come down, almost in a simple dropping motion. The vortex that had been encircling the blade erupted ubruptly at the fall of the sword, water spewing from the blade, making it seem as if the entire blade was producing a river. The water surges and rises up several dozen meters high into the air and came crashing down in a massive cascade like an unrelenting waterfall. The crashing wave imploded the very ground as it rushed at the genin.

The wave would come at such a speed and power that anything in its path would come forth nothing short of utter destruction and surely the death of the ninja that had raised her sword against him. That would have been the case if he had wished to kill the kunoichi at that moment but, the wave would serve to do two main things for him. While the wave would indeed meet her, the full force of the attack was aimed along the side that while she would more than likely get struck she would be swept up in the wave and dragged away to the end of the jutsu. The second thing being to establish that which was already known but to make sure that her words would now ring true if they were false words to try and spare her life. His swordsmanship would never be brought into question nor would his person come under such an attack without provocation.

A side effect of this jutsu was that while he would have used it in such a way, the village would come under its effect in a negative way. While the mist, while it was active, told him of the individuals within it, beyond it was anyone's guess but in the direction he had fired, it was populated by Vex herself, at least, within the mist. Anyone unfortunate enough not to move themselves out of the way would end up paying the consequence in a most dire way. For even a glancing blow of his great waterfall that Vex would surely feel would be enough to put one in a position they would not favor as with the use of his weapon, the already powerful jutsu would take a whole new turn in its power that would make any onlooker think that the ocean itself somehow crashed into the village. One of the things that would be the better of the situation was that the  jutsu was aimed toward the outside of the village so instead of sending the entire village to be drowned and destroyed, it was a relatively small portion and they would surely be able to recuperate after such a trivial loss and maybe enjoy another lake or pond.

Jutsu:

He had recognized her existence by speaking her name; a skilled shinobi like this was showing her that he valued her existence... by not killing her, today. She had fully expected to die this day, she always planned to die whenever she used her sword Wrath. Each and every time, she either regained control before the fight was over, or by the time she was laying on the ground and out of chakra.

This time was somewhat different, she had regained her sanity before the fight had come to a violent end and even discussing a somewhat reasonable conversation. The mist had lightened up considerably, or rather: it had drawn towards a focal point, towards him. So... he had still planned to make a finishing strike to signify their difference in power and skill.

Naturally she inspected the fundamental basis of his jutsu, it was a water jutsu of some sort- most offensive likely. She could see him clearly now, the most visible marking was his mask; would she ever forget the mask? Her attention was diverted though, to his sword that had drawn in all the moisture into the form of a pressure blade.

He continued to drop his sword in a downward sweeping  motion and released the pent up jutsu. It was like a concentrated waterfall shaped into the form of a vortex and spiraling towards her; on his word, it wouldn't kill her, and she trusted his word. She didn't attempt to evade, she stood her ground and raised her hands to her face to ensure that she didn't drown in the ensuing jutsu. It struck her on their left-most side but not directly head on- if it had been a direct hit, she wouldn't likely be alive.

The force of the hit was enough to sent her spinning and carry her away in the rushing waters, she tensed her muscles and held her breathe even against the onslaught of pressure and disorientation. She couldn't concentrate past that further to count how many seconds she was carried in the rushing water, but it was surely more than a few seconds.

By the time she was released from the current of water, it had already ran its destructive course and ended abruptly, dropping her onto the wet muddy ground. She coughed several times and spat out water, her clothes were socked and she struggled to right herself on the muddy ground. Her first instinct was to ensure that Wrath and Chastity were still in her possession; both weapons were still cinched in the ring sheathes on her back, snug tightly.

After righting her orientation and sense of gravity, she stood up and breathed deeply into the damp air to refill her lungs with fresh air. She looked around to inspect where she was and discovered the jutsu had drgged her far away from the village; it was in the distance and she could tell that a large portion of the village was ruined by the pressurized attack. These villagers were resilient though, she didn't doubt they would continue to live.

Vex knew her and the mysterious shinobi's confrontation was at an end, he had spared her life and sent her far away from there interaction point. There was nothing more for the genin to do here, if she went back- he would likely finish her off. She looked around t ensure she was alone: she took off her clothing and squeezed the water out of it- she didn't want to catch a cold on her way back to Boufuugakure. She put her mostly dry clothes back on and slowly trotted her way back towards the large village she called "home" She spoke to herself as she went and didn't look backwards.

To think I would be taught important life lessons by a mysterious shinobi trying to kill me. Maybe I should rethink how I view some people?

The question itself was rhetorical, she knew as much but never really considered the possibility. She sighed to herself as she neared the large gates of her village after a short while; here was the village she called home. It was her village, or at least; it had been for a couple of years; maybe she would give it another hard look and try to view the village as a real home. The three guards at the gate greeted her with a nod as they recognized her ninja insignia, she nodded back to them- a notion she had always ignored previously.
{Exit Thread}

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Word Count- 750

The masked man watched as the torrent of water would rage forth in an inevitable destruction. The sight of the wreckage before him that unfolded was, for a lack of better terms, bliss. Something that he would never exclaim whilst he wore the mask over his face. He would watch still as his foe would be sent swirling and shifting away in the mighty wave. The buildings that were in the way were made an extra example of the power he could show but that was something that was more on the negative side to his overall image.

He would hope that in light of things, that people would not hold him in a bad light. After the aftermath of the ground had settled, there was water and debris everywhere, the main thing was that something was gained from this but he would not aim to check on the female ninja as that would dismiss the entire point of the assault. He would raise his sword up and let it come to rest on his back with his other weapon.

The wound on his chest had come to a halt in its blood flow. It had formed an almost constantly swirling 'X' on his chest, not at all like it was during his assault. He did know that if the battle would have continued or she had a surprise under her sleeve. He would turn around and begin to walk away into one of alleyways, one of his hands coming to his chest and came to rest there. He would then pull his hand away as blood droplets would follow in the air in a trail behind his hand. He would soon disappear in the darkness of the ally, surely he would see this Vex again in the future and it was a pleasing thought.
{Exit Thread}