The Battle for Meijing: Nyguyen v. Masaru & Yui (ToW)

Nyguyen and his squad had arrived by daybreak as planned. The cold mountain air would normally chill him to the bone but he was layered with armour and the weight of his gear. The Hokage was wearing a steel set, painted black with the Uchiha crest on the back. Underneath it he wore a dark coat with the collar pulled up to his chin in a manner similar to his avatar. The man's Konoha headband was securely fastened to his forehead for all to see. He wanted there to be no mistake here. Konoha had returned to retake what was rightfully their's. The Hokage had struck a deal with the Mountain Alliance. They would give the minor nation coalition material support and assistance in exchange for a portion of the Land of Earth. They'd also pledge fealty to Konoha's interests. In return, they'd get most of the Land of the Earth and the right to govern their affairs without interference so long as they did not intrude in Konoha's business or give safe haven to terrorists.

The kinetic operations between the Mountain-Nin and the Earth County were sporadic but when the leaders of the Alliance approached him with a bold plan to take the top industrial city, Nyg could not refuse. He didn't necessarily want to directly intervene but he knew when he saw their plans that this could be the turning point of the war. Various criminal factions had encouraged the miners to rise up against their capitalist overlords. They armed the miners and spread enough chaos in the city to overwhelm the local constabulary. From there, the Mountain Nin para trooped in or snuck across the border and made a beeline for the city. If they took it over quickly, it would be a major morale booster. If they managed to hold it then it would cut off funding to the Iwa war machine. The village was just getting back on its feet and a blow like this might be enough to force the nation to its knees.

Of course, because Iwa knew of the importance that Meijing held, they'd fight tooth and nail to protect it. It was at this pivotal battle that the Tsuchikage and Hokage would meet. This meeting in turn would determine the fate of their respective nations.

Nyguyen leaned against a shattered wall in the center of the urban sprawl. He listened and heard several booms nearby. Nyguyen had figured that a certain exiled Kotoshura would return to Iwa but he hadn't expected Masaru to be so foolish as to requisition her for such a major battle. The Hokage cursed his luck. Yui was strong but reckless. The combination of traits made her both vulnerable and dangerous. He'd need to tread lightly here. The Hokage was 100 meters from his quarrys' location. He had been drawn by the sound of consistent explosians and cries for mercy. The Mountain Alliance was getting its butt kicked. Konoha had arrived just in time because a few more hours of this and they'd be driven from the city entirely. He had taken up position in a bombed out two story family home. None of it was left standing but the charred walls created enough cover for him to operate without being seen. He activated his Sharingan and made a handsign.

Instantly, fifty clones would manifest in the area. Each of them had spawned with the generic tanto weapon he had on his person as well as his Eyes of Insight. They gripped the steel weapon and fanned out in a heartbeat. Each clone had been created with the bare minimum amount of chakra. Nevertheless, they could still do serious harm if underestimated. The army of clones ran through the broken city. Meijing had always been dark with soot and urban grit, but the battle had made things worse. Fires, rubble, and debris were strewn about. The smell of corpses hung in the air and the sky was now a mixture of Katon smoke and industrial smog. Nyguyen would take full advantage of this environment to surrounded and at least harry his opponents. The clones spread out and tried to approach Masaru and Yui from all angles. Their aim was to encircle the duo and then stab them to pieces. They ran through streets, zipped down alleyways, acrobatically leapt through husks of buildings, and hopped over rooftops to reach their target.

A battle cry roared from the squadron as they burst onto the scene and stormed the Tsuchikage and his new recruit. The clones would hack and slash at the two from a multiplicity of angles. They were weak but their skill was not to be trifled with. They attempted to distract and demoralize the pair as many of the clones would shout things like:

"Traitor!"
"Terrorist!"
"Usurper!"
"Iwa belongs to Konoha!"
"Earth Province not Earth Country!"
"Fear the might of the Uchiha!"

Nyguyen was not one for idle talk during a fight but anything he could say to rattle the opposition was good. He made another seal as he contemplated a secondary strategy.


Used: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu (.1 for 50 Clones, 5 CP Spent)

Each clone armed with Tanto

Active: Tomoe 3 Sharingan

Yui knew the day would come and here it was Konoha's blatant attack on the sovereignty of Iwa, this would not stand, she had prepared for this day as she got the message the assaults had begun. She would make her way toward the battlefield, as she did she would see several waves of Konohas soldiers attacking with her suddenly dashing in with a blink of an eye ten of the men were now down, this was not the real threats she had to find the real enemy the actual shinobi on the battlefield. She could hear the shouting of slanderous messages as Yui would take a deep breath and shout as loud as she could.

"DO NOT FALTER, THESE SCUM WHAT TO ENSLAVE YOU, THEY WISH TO TORTURE YOU AND WISH TO DO HORRIBLE THINGS TO YOUR FAMILY'S, TRUST ME I KNOW. They kill family, they kill their Hokage, they kill anyone in their way they are a nation of criminals and monsters, we will defend this area, stand your ground, fight the tyranny of these overlords let us show them the true might of IWA."

A loud roar would fill the air as Yui had rallied the mind of the men and woman of Iwa, they appeared to be fighting with much more vigor knowing they had such a strong general on their side. Yui could use her dragon to fly around however she needed to be on the ground as she saw a shinobi with a large weapon she smiled. So it was him they were fighting, if she remembers right he was far weaker then anyone they could have faced, this was not good news for himself. Not only was she here Masaru was also here which meant he had to fight the two biggest threats of the village, and Yui by herself felt confident she could win.

She quickly rushed the one with the blade as she would quickly run up the wall before doing some sort of unknown martial arts style with her using her blast to change the direction of her kick aiming to crush and slam the man's head, she was sure this wasn't himself but a clone. No one would be foolish enough to challenge out in the open like this. She twisted her body contorting it to do a 360 spin kick before changing directions and reversing the kick aiming to slam into the men back. The speed and power of her moves were to not be underestimated, she was incredibly fast and strong as the follow-through would clam her foot hard into the ground causing it to crack.

"Masaru we have the Hokage here, I repeat the attack is being lead by the Hokage, it appears he's using clones, I am not sure how many but I am sure he is using it to scout our ability he is much weaker then we are so don't expect a head on fight with him."

Yui would seek out more clones, her speed and ferousity would become clear to Nyg as she knew if they were clones she didn't even need direct impacts just causing damage would disapate them, so that was her goal cause enough damage to disperse the clones without tiring herself out and without her using her trump card. She would hear a sudden voice fill her head as it almost caused pain to her.

"Yui...long time no see, I see you are as selfish as ever, you always take from the moment you were born you took from everyone. You are evil Yui, I should have been born not you, you are the evil of this world."

Yui would shake her head for a moment and if any of the clones were watching they could see her slightly grab her head for a moment, clearly something was bothering her as she clinched her fists and violently attacked any clone she could find close by.

Stats and Jutsu used:

Masaru held Devorakos tightly in his grip as the Blood Bringer cut down the lowly mountain men, they were foolish for thinking they could overpower the will of the Earth and they would all pay with their lives. Iwa's forces could easily crush the mountain, the fact that they would attack made no sense to Masaru. Until he saw it, at first he thought it was a trick of the light. Unfortunately it wasn't, and his eyes were not wrong. In the midst of the mountain men, were headbands of the leaf. Just over a year since Akari Uchiha gave her blessing as Hokage for Masaru to Rule Iwa and even help fund his endeavor, and the leaf came knocking trying to take what did not belong to them yet again. Masaru knew this day would come, yet he would have thought it would have been longer. Looks like he lost the bet with Yui after all, Masaru had been cutting down the would be invaders with ease not even breaking a sweat. His blade Devorakos, true to it's name dripping with the blood of the mountain and leaf invaders. Masaru's only clothing that of his pants, he wore no armor or shirt, his only items on him were Soulstring and Devorakos.

Hearing Yui call out that the Hokage was among the invaders made Masaru's adrenaline skyrocket, 'Thank Raava, I was starting to get bored' Masaru thought to himself as he had been dying to test his own blade with the Uchiha. Hoping the Hokage would at least put up a decent fight, as the clones charged him Masaru couldn't help but smile knowing that the blades would never touch him. He would slice through two of the clones before clashing with the Tanto of another one, a clone would strike Masaru on his back with its tanto but it would have no effect. His Impervious armor activated his skin was as hard as steel, harder then most normal metal that is anyways. Masaru would call out to the Hokage knowing he couldn't be far from the clones, "Come now Coward, to scared to face me man to man?" Masaru would knock back the clone he clashed with before slicing through it before turning his blade upon the clone that had struck him. Masaru didn't care about getting under the man's skin or trying to goad him out, in reality he just wanted to prove he was better than the so called Hokage. To show him and all of the land of fire that the land of Earth was no longer their playground, and that the land of earth will never be ruled by a foreigner again.

---

OoC Stuff:

Dammit! Nyguyen thought. The clones were being cut down faster than he had anticipated. Each poof brought new memories and with it, information on the capabilities of the two nin he was facing. Taking down the notorious Yui Kotoshura and the Tsuchikage was no small task. They were here for the same reason he was. The Battle of Meijing was pivotal and having the highest leadership on both sides present could turn the tide of the Mountain War. Their analysis of his tactics were correct. Facing them in open combat was suicide but if he could harry and assault them then perhaps he could find an opening and take it from there.

For all their success, however, the pair would notice that the remaining clones would not be taken down so easily. Each clone bore the Sharingan and the ones that held back had analyzed their fight patterns. The last thirty clones would thus be able to predict and actively avoid the threat of dispersion. The fully matured Dojutsu was a thing to behold and given Nyguyen's comparable capabilities, these clones were able to outmaneuver their opponents. Although deliberate offensive attacks appeared to be off the table for now. Masaru's armour seemed to be impenetrable and Yui's explosion release made close quarters suicide.

"Hmph! Instead of fighting for this failed state, you should do as your predecessors did and recognize the futility of self-government!" the clones retorted. "Shinobi of your skill would have done well in the Hidden Leaf. If it wasn't for her impetulance and your arrogance, you could have risen high in our military"

As the remaining thirty clones spoke, Nyguyen cast the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu again. Fifty clones were created each with a single kunai in hand. They rapidly fled from the area as they spread throughout Meijing. Their purpose was to keep an eye on his comrades and assist them if need be. He placed an explosive tag on his arm and case the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu again. 50 Clones were created once more except this time, they all had an explosive tag strapped to their arm. Again!  Nyguyen cast the technique one more time and created 6 clones. Each with 10 chakra and carrying a single shuriken. He gave each each a smoke bomb, a flash bomb, and other assorted goodies. After a few preparations were made, they'd position themselves elsewhere for the time being.

The second wave of fifty surged forwards. They were human suicide bombers but now they were armed with knowledge of how the pair fought. Whilst the last surviving 30 battled Yui and Masaru, these new Nyguyen clones once more spilled onto the battlefield like angry wasps. They sought various openings and gave each other room to dive in where necessary. Mere dodging wouldn't be enough especially not with their Sharingans active and the knowledge of the previous volley.  Wherever they moved, a clone would be there already ascertaining their movement path to close in for a suicidal explosion. The damage would easily be enough to take out Yui, although for Masaru, it might do little more than rattle him senseless or leave a few nasty welts. If they wished to come out of this with their minds intact they'd need a lot more than close quarters skill.


Used: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu (.1 for 50 Clones for 2nd Wave, .1 for 50 Clones sent to Allies, 10 for the last batch of 6.

75 CP Spent

2nd volley of 50 armed with explosive tags

Assistance clones armed with a single kunai

Active: Tomoe 3 Sharingan


Exit 25 Clones to Ari & Chika's Thread
Exit 25 Clones to Kimi's Thread

The clones were easy for her to dispatch, but as she expected they appeared to be trying to change their fighting style, adapting to her, however, there is only so much they could do when outmatched in such devastating ways. As one came close to her and took a swing, she would appear to slide under before lifting her foot slamming directly into the neck with a kick so hard its head would have been torn off if it was a person. She would move luring the clones to come close before she would begin to dash quickly and rapidly blasting damage near enough to cause enough damage to make them vanish.

There would be another wave however after she put in the work on these she saw one rushing quickly toward her before it got close exploding, as it vanished she stood and stared and smiled, she was not a weak girl anymore and their tactics would not work on her.

"That is cleaver Nyg but one problem I am not the weak girl you remember, I have become strong and my strength will be used to crush Konoha into nothingness. This attack was your last straw, do not worry I will make sure your village is ended quickly as to not make the people suffer, you have made an enemy you should not have."

She would continue to rush the clones as they would all detonate when she got close, but she was rushing at blazing speeds setting off as many as she could, where was the true Nyg, she would find him and make him pay for this farce, judging by the insane amount of clones he made she doubted he had much chakra left.

"You know making so many shadow clones uses a lot of chakra, and when they cant even damage me nor use much chakra as you divided them up far too much from yourself was a mistake. I will find you Nyg and you will not enjoy the pain I inflict, how DARE YOU attack my home I was exiled and allowed to live where I pleased and Iwa was released from Konoha. Now you claim it's your land, NO YOU SCUM, it is free and its people will not tolerate your treachery any longer, you will soon learn we have STRONG allies you don't want to anger."

The number of destroyed clones was rapidly rising as she began to see where the clones pattern and directions came from, she simply had to figure out the direction to find him, eventually, he would have no choice but to show his face.

Stats and Jutsu:

Masaru was slightly surprised when the clone blocked his strike with the kunai, 'so their learning, fast' he would think to himself. It didn't matter though even if Devorakos didn't cut the person mere contact with any part of the blade would drain chakra thanks the Iwa special metal that made it, and Masaru knew clones depended upon chakra so he shifted his blade and the side of Devorakos would touch the clone and it went poof.

Masaru would smirk as the clone's words, he wasn't a big talker during combat but this sentence struck a nerve. "You are arrogant and blind fool, Konoha has done nothing but caused problems and mayhem in MY LANDS." his voice would echo through the streets as he spoke, "You come and claim this as part of your kingdom as if you some how have a right to it. Yet you never done a single thing to help it's people, never lifted a finger to help those starving while you profitted from our misfortune." Masaru cut down another couple of clones, "At least that is until your predecessor." The clones matched the man's coordination but still he only needed to touch them, Yui was right he spread his chakra too thin and he would pay for it. After slapping a few more with his blade, Masaru would call out again. "Akari Uchiha is the only leader Konoha has ever had with any sense, she not only supported my claim of this land, she sought me as an ally rather than an enemy. She even sent me Yui under the guise of banishment knowing that Yui would return to her true home."

Lifting his foot Masaru would kick off one of the clones and land a few meters away from it, before he even hit the ground the man had converted his impervious Armor into his Impervious Exo-Skeleton. Gone was Masaru's normal appearance, replace instead was a form covered in all black metal with glowing red veins running various designs giving the appearance of Lava. Masaru instantly flipping his sword into a reverse hold as he dropped into his Guren Stance, "You will pay for your Insolence." Masaru would growl as he began striking out at any clones that would come in range of him, the best part about his Guren style was it's unpredictablity. No strike would be the same, and with Devorakos in a reverse grip it opened his range considering all he really needed to do was touch them.

Hearing the explosions going off around Yui Masaru would narrow his eyes, the new wave of clones moving suicidally. Of course it didn't matter if they had tags or not if Masaru could strike them with Devorakos before they detonate then the clone and the copied tag the held would disappear with a poof. "It's sad that a mere Eighteen year old girl shows more wisdom then you, how did you ever become a Kage?" Masaru would call out again as he cut down another half dozen clones, eventually the man would realize that his attempts to take Masaru's Land from him was futile. If the man did not flee soon he would find himself as the Tsuchikage's guest, with his own private room that he will never leave.

---

OoC Stuff:

The clones kept dying and the explosive tags were having no effect. The Hokage was sweating now. Yui was indeed far stronger than he had anticipated. He had assumed that the capture of the 9 Tails had been mainly through the efforts of Menza but it was now obvious that the Kotoshura had more than done her part. He could no longer afford to hold back. He retreated to a distance of a kilometer away now that it was clear that his clones could not hold back the advancing Iwa-Nin. Yui's threat against his village was concerning but he was confident they'd be able to repel any retaliation on the part of Iwagakure. The latter portion of her statement struck him as odd. Iwa had been given back? He knew of Haku's order but no one in the military had taken the action seriously. It did not represent a genuine change of policy. The Hokage had only taken the mantle in the aftermath of Tatsu and had released Konoha's holdings for reasons unknown to anyone. The individual didn't even remain in power long enough to be held accountable for the act. Nyguyen dismissed the statement as the ramblings of a girl notorious for her insensible statements. When Masaru began corroborating her story, that give him pause.

Akari? Akari gave her blessing?

Nyguyen was unaware of this fact. He knew that Masaru had worked for Konoha on a freelance basis before but he was ignorant of any agreement between his predecessor and the now Tsuchikage. He also knew of Yui's banishment but he never considered the possibility that it was a "gift" to the Earth Country. If what he was saying was true then Akari had willingly given up Satomi's legacy for no discernible reason. They were stronger than he anticipated true but he was still fairly confident that they could not match the might of Konoha. This had been a mere sortie to help a foreign ally. If the Leaf brought its true power to bear they could easily overwhelm the Earth Country. Nevertheless, he'd need to speak to Akari about this. If he had known his predecessor would not agree he might have gone for a more subtler route.

Could have....would have....should have....now isn't the time for regret. Its the time for action!

He had been saving this for a special occasion but it appeared as though he'd soon be given no choice. Nyguyen raised his canteen of hero water to his lips. He was about to drink from it when several hours worth of knowledge was transmitted to his brain.

Yui was quite tired of dealing with these clones but it became quite clear to him most likely that his trick would do nothing to her. He was nothing more than a gnat and she was far stronger then he had realized. She was not even fighting close to her full strength but the exploding clones did next to nothing to her as she continued to take them out. The numbers of them were dwindling rapidly and it would only be a matter of time before she would discover the real Nyg.

"This grows quite tiresome, you should just give up already, attack Iwa a free nation was a huge error in your thinking and you likely made another nation besides us your enemy. I would call you a fool for even thinking it wise to attack here, not even having the brain to figure out I was going to Iwa where else would I have gone. I would have been at peace with Konoha but no you guys just can't leave me the fuck alone."

Her rapid destruction of the clones was near completion she had no clue where he was but he was running out of clones fast. She knew Masaru likely was fine himself as she would move toward his direction it would be best if they stuck closer together as the clones depleted.

"Masaru with his clones dying he will get desperate I am heading back toward you, we need to be prepared I am sure he has a trump card so be suspicious."

Stats and Jutsu:

'There' Masaru shouted in his own head as his eyes narrowed when he saw one of the men retreating, 'that one has to be the real one'. Masaru figured he was using what was left of his clones to distract them while he escaped, but that wasn't going to work. Using the focus of his Guren style and the increase to his strength from his Armor Masaru would throw Devorakos in the direction of the one running away. He wasn't trying to strike the man he knew that wouldn't work, but what it would do was clear a path in the clones which is what he needed. The sword would fly through the air dispersing any and every clone that got in it's path, flowing chakra through his body and making it lighter than air before charging forward at breaking speed following the path his sword cleared for him to catch up to the man. Moving at forty-five meters per second Masaru would have no trouble catching the man considering how slow he was moving, as the Tsuchikage charged forward he would grab Devorakos from the ground without slowing readying his blade to strike the his real target this time.

He would be within a hundred meters of the man when Masaru saw him grab something that looked like water, Masaru wasn't a fool the man wouldn't have stopped running now for a drink of water. Without thinking Masaru would throw Devorakos while still moving at full speed, the sword would strike the canteen knocking it from the man's hand just seconds before Masaru arrived with a full speed punch to the man's face. His light weight Technique weakened his strength but with his Exo-Skeleton he still had more than enough strength to knock the man back with a punch at that speed. Masaru's left hand would ache, even with his armor he could feel the sting of the punch but it wouldn't be broken. It didn't matter though, it was over now. Forming the ox, horse, tiger, dog half seals with his right hand as the man he punched hit the ground. Four 1 meter long chains would form from the ground latching onto each of the man's limbs, the chains would be strong enough that the man wouldn't be able to break free but they would also drain his chakra. Considering the way the man had been throwing his chakra away, Masaru did not think it would take long before the chains drained him of what little he had left and his clones dispersed.

Masaru would approach the would be invader, a smile formed on his face at seeing the man in chains. Kneeling down Masaru would look the man square in the eyes as he spoke, "My name is Masaru Tatsudashi, Sandaime Tsuchikage of the Village Hidden in the Stone. Seeing as you went through all this trouble to get here, why don't you kick off your shoes and stay a while. Not that you have a choice." Masaru would stand looking for Devorakos, as he grabbed the blade he would notice the canteen he had knocked from the man's hand. Devorakos had ripped it in half, whatever contents were within it where now in the ground. 'Too bad' Masaru thought to himself as he waited for Yui to join him.

---

OoC Stuff:

Nyguyen noticed that he had been made when his Sharingan picked up the irregular movements of a flying weapon. With each dead clone, the memory of a fast flying object was burned into his conscious. They were closing in on him and given the fight that they had put up against his clones, there was no way he was going to beat them in a fair battle. He wanted to move further into the city to give his clones a chance to check up on Chika and Ari but that wasn't going to happen. The sudden disappearance of his explorer clones had left him with the knowledge of a massive bolt of lightning ripping through Meijing. The attack was as unatural as it was devastating. He knew of no one in his party capable of such a feat and given how the Mountain-Nin were fighting, he doubted it was their doing. Nyguyen skidded to a stop.

He had grossly underestimated Iwagakure no Sato.

The Hokage's options were running out and he was no longer concerned about the success of his mission. All that mattered were his students and getting them out of this death trap safely. The moment he stopped running, the canteen was knocked out of his hand. The contents spilled onto the ground. Wasted. Nyguyen gave Masaru a dirty look but resigned himself to his fate. He was struck and no sooner did he fall on his ass was he enraptured in chains. Nyg instantly felt what little strength he had slowly go down the drain. As the chains sapped his strength, he looked up to see the Tsuchikage gloating over his capture. The Hokage was scared and way in over his head. Chika, Ari, and Kimiko were now in mortal danger and the blow to the nation's morale would be catastrophic for the war effort. To have its Kage captured in a war they had started was something the country might never recover from.

Nyguyen was on the verge of having a breakdown. He stared in disbelief at the ground as his life flashed before his eyes. Would he ever see his wife and children again? Would he ever be able to go back to Konoha? If he did, would they even want him? Nyguyen could not imagine receiving a warm welcome when he returned. He had always been paralyzed with the prospect of failure but this was too much even for him.

I can't freeze up.....not again.....My students....they are depending on me!

Nyguyen was not a brilliant tactician like Akihiro nor was he a force of destruction like Satomi. He was a bookworm playing Kage. He had no special skills to get him out of this situation and so he fell back on the one thing he had always been good at. Talking, or more specifically, lecturing. Even as his strength left him he looked up at Masaru and smiled.


"Eruh..." he gasped as he tried to center himself despite the discomfort of the chakra leeching chains. "...Nyguyen Uchiha....Nanadaime Hokage....A pleasure. I wish we could have met under less barbaric circumstances" he gave his most confident and reassuring smile. It wasn't particularly convincing but he wasn't relying on natural charisma here. It would be his encyclopedic knowledge of history and human affairs that would save his skin.

"You might want to rethink whatever it is you and Yui have planned. You've won the battle....perhaps even this war but you've gravely overestimated your position young Masaru. If you'll indulge me....let me give you a brief history lesson. I know you don't want to hear it but it might save your village from total destruction. You see, when Iwagakure fell into disarray seven years ago, the only leader in your village with some sense was its Jounin Commander. A woman by the name of Masuyo Kaede. Masuyo knew what I, Satomi, the Kazehana Empire and just about any sane individual knows. That Iwa is not fit for self-governance and is best managed as a colony as opposed to an independent state. She took an entire caravan's worth of Earth Province citizens...Yui and her brother Taichi among them. They came to Konoha's doorstep begging for asylum. A safe place to grow, live, and work. We took them all in. Every single last one of them and made them full-fledged citizens on the spot. They joined our military and Masuyo went on to become the 3rd Hokage."

It was possible that Masaru knew all of this but it was helpful to remind the man. It was also critical to his own sanity. Laying the historical groundwork was something he knew and understood even if the madness of shinobi conflict was foreign to him.

"Masuyo understood that the Hidden Leaf was the only reason her people didn't descend into chaos and depravity. The Amandi, the Kotoshura....the lot of them. How do you think we learned of Iwa's location? She gave it to us. She helped us conquer it. Yui was her student. She wasn't ignorant of what we did, she was proud of it. The Earth Province can prosper under Konoha's leadership but only if you let it. Masuyo appreciated that fact and she even went as far as to put down that dog Akeno when she tried to overthrow the provisional government of Iwa. Imagine that? One of your own people being so loyal to the Hidden Leaf that she'd kill a former Earth Province citizen to protect it. I say all this to say......you should learn from your predecessors boy. They knew things that you do not....if you think you've won your independence think again."

Nyguyen turned to Yui and did his best to give a mocking smile.

"Your people are still back in Konoha safe and sound, your brother too. Even if your cousin was a mad woman-cat-thing that tried to destroy my home and my clan...I have not troubled the Kotoshura. They are native to the Fire Country and I considered them inheritors of the Will of Fire. But if me and my squad are not promptly returned to Konoha then you can kiss every last one of them goodbye. I suspect the vast majority of them still support you and I will take steps to let them rejoin you if they wish. No violence, no persecution, but they deserve to be with their clan leader."

He didn't say anything about Rin. He'd keep that nugget of information in his backpocket. The little he did say was liable to incense Yui but he trusted that her passion for her people would override her passion for vengeance. It was a gamble but given his predicament, it was a gamble worth taking. Nyg turned his attention back to Masaru:

"Let me and my squad go and you can get the Kotoshura Clan back safe and sound. I'd promise you independence but I respect your honesty Masaru-san so I will not lie to you. I am not Akari. She might have been willing to throw away Satomi's legacy but I am not. The most I can offer you are favorable terms. You can govern most of your own affairs. Keep 90% of your nation's income with a 10% tithe to Konoha. You can even keep calling yourself 'Tsuchikage' if it pleases you. But once a year you will get down on your knees at the Heavenly Emporium and swear fealty to myself and the Fire Daimyou as was tradition between the Emirs of the Kazehana and the Lords of the Stone. That's the best deal you are going to get. Anything less and you will see the difference between how Konoha treats a colony in rebellion and how it treats a sovereign adversary"

(OOC: You can take this as a surrender. Nyguyen admits defeat for this ToW Mission.)

They had caught the man as Yui dashed to where Masaru was and where Nyg was being held, any clones he had would be dispersed due to the chains. He had a short speech and she knew right away she was not going to like a word he was going to say, as he continued on and on about how they should worship him basically it made her hate every fiber of his being, the damn Uchiha were nothing but scum. The final straw was the second he threatened her clan, she quickly moved toward him and would not let Masaru stop her as she would deck him as hard as she could square in the face. Threatening her was fine but holding her clan hostage, no this was inexcusable and unacceptable.

"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU threaten to hold MY CLAN hostage, this is beyond stupid you know how many villages would go to war with you for threatening and harming innocent people that had nothing to do with anything going on. You can insult me and threaten me but using a strategy like holding hostages. You accuse the society of being true evil and I agree, yet you do the exact tactics they have used, it makes you absolute scum, letting you live of course but unharmed no fucki9ng chance in hell."

Yui would move close as she looked over to Masaru and the moved to get close to his side, she would not kill him but she had ways to make living very painful.

"Did you know my Jutsu can be focused quite narrowly and cause no collateral damage, in fact, all it will take is a simple finger touch. Masaru he has to live, but I really think we should give him a good message, he isn't going to negotiate with you the second he gets back he will send the real attack force. We can at least make sure he cant be part of the future attack."

She would wait to hear what Masaru had to say, she was sure he understood letting him leave unharmed would be stupid if he was at least not part of the next attack force it slightly weakened Konoha.

Stats and Jutsu:

Masaru felt a twitch in his eye when the man mentioned meeting in less barbaric circumstances, "yes that would have been nice. Instead YOU decided to attack, I would have much rather a peaceful conversation. You brought this war to My Land, I did not ask for this." Masaru stood and would look across the town most of the fighting had stopped there was still some going on in the distance, but the walls that were still standing were in the way of him seeing what was happening. Masaru allowed the man to talk, he seemed rather long winded and had a bit of self-importance in his word when he spoke of himself or his village, but none the less Masaru would not be rude and interrupt him even if his view was shrouded with falsehood. As Yui arrived and the man turned his attention to her and spoke about her clan, Masaru knew what was going to happen before she even made the fist. He could have stopped her, or at the very least tried to stop her. However, it was rather satisfying to see her punch him after the lies he had spoken up to that point. The man would turn back to Masaru and not only threaten the village of an attack but demanded a tithe, Yui wanted to break his bones and after his last comment Masaru was tempted to allow her to. Instead Masaru would exhale a deep breath, "No Yui, that is not Our way. That is Theirs. I will not lower myself to their level."

Masaru would grab the man by the scruff of his shirt picking him up with ease to the point where his feet would not touch the ground. "You have got some nerve, you know that. Let me begin with this, If you call me Boy again I might just have to look the other way as Yui uses those barbaric tactics your people instilled in her head." Masaru's emerald green eyes glared directly into Nyguyen's to let him know that he was not kidding, despite his comment of not wishing to lower himself to the man's level, the one thing he did not appreciate was the man insulting him by calling him boy when the man himself was only a few years older then him. "You seem to think of yourself as quite the historian, but your history seems to be a little one sided. You can speak highly of your village and your people all you want, you can speak highly of Masuyo it doesn't matter to me. You speak of how she brought an entire caravan of my people to you, you welcomed them with open arms, how you are the guiding force for the future of MY LANDS." Masaru would lower Nyguyen to the ground to stand on his own feet as he continued to glare into the man's eyes. "What about those she left behind? What about those that were killed when she helped your village conquer this land? What about the people who were left to squalor in filth and crime while the land of Fire profitted off of their misfortune? What about My Cousin and my clan leader who she killed?"

Masaru would pause for a moment allowing his rhetorical questions to hang on the air for a moment as he looked around at the destruction around them before he would answer them himself. "You and you're village bring nothing but chaos and Destruction and in my eyes, Masuyo was a traitor to her people. She took the best and brightest of the village to the leaf and left the rest of her people to rot. She gave away our secrets, she sided with the leaf over her own people. She killed her people, and when she killed Akeno she sealed her fate. Using Masuyo will hold no sway over me, Akeno was my cousin and my leader and she is the only true Hero in your little story. Akeno gave her life in the defense of her people, as Masuyo should have rather than surrender to foreign reign. Akeno saw the same thing that I saw when I arrived here, the the leaf had left my people to the wolves while they profitted from there misfortune. Criminals ran the streets, children afraid to go outside, death and decay filling the country. Iwa is better under my rule, the people are happy, the criminals are dead, we have peace. Now you come along and try to undo the one good thing your village had ever done for this village, Akari Uchiha saw the truth why can't you?" Masaru would look at his eyes as if pleading with the man to see the truth in his words, "what you call Satomi's legacy, my people call the dark ages. Try to justify it all you want, but your people have no true claim to this land and you and the leaf village are not the Heroes of this story you are the villian."

Masaru would then proceed to pick the chained man up, the chains would vanish soon their job done and his chakra all but gone. "I will send you back to your village, and when I do I want you to look in your files on me. I worked for Konoha under Akari, I earned the money that lead to my rule of this country through service to your village, the file will also show the contract that I made with Konoha and Akari of peace between us and no retribution for your past crimes. Unlike you, I am a man of my word. Also bare in mind I could have killed you and your people, I could have imprisoned the lot of you and my people would rejoice. Instead I am choosing to do what is right, in hopes that you see that we are not the bad guys here. If you and your people leave my land and not return than you have nothing to fear from me or the people Iwagakure, on that you have my word as my honor. But if you return and try to take this land i will kill you if it's the last thing I do, and that you have my word as well. Tsuchi no Kuni will not bend the knee to Konoha as long as there is still breath in my lungs, and you should consider yourself lucky that I'm not forcing you to pay back all the money your country stole from mine over the years." with those words he would be off carrying the so called Hokage to where the battle still raged to allow him to tell his people to stand down.

{Exit thread carrying Nyguyen -> Headed for Kimi and Seids thread}

Chikamatsu Hyuga, currently inside his Yuru puppet armor continued to carry his fallen comrade Ari Dokuma with Tamwyn in tow to where he last saw the Hokage fighting the Tshuchikage, and the closer they got the fight eventually he'd be able to properly telescope into the fight, or the aftermath of it. While he missed a decent chunk of what the Stone Kage had said, he caught enough as he read their lips. When he had gone over the timeline of events before they started this mission, things hadn't lined up with what the current Hokage said to him, and this was proof of it.

Given that he was so absorbed into his puppet creation and clan issues for the longest time, he had only recently gotten antiquated with Konoha's history, from the six previous Hokage and their previous exploits, how over half of them were Uchiha, and how each of them had a part to play in this shitshow he was in the middle of now. The fact Akari either didn't reveal that they had made peace, or more likely that info was suppressed, just added to it all.

Intercepting the trio of fighters shortly after Masaru started to move to what he could assume to be the other fight now just over nine kilometers away. The puppets (sans Yuru) were still attached to their mechanical backpack. Masaru would've easily seem them coming once he had turned to go to the new fight, and once he was in a decent enough speaking range, Chika would use the vocal box to disguise his voice and sound like his mother once more. "Hello Tshuchikage Masaru and...Kotoshura woman. My name is Sakura Hyuga, and I am acting on behalf of Chikamatsu Hyuga, son of the woman known as Sakura Amandi and current clan head of the Hyuga. As you can see we are currently in no position to fight, but instead we wish to discuss peaceful terms for the return of our Hokage, as if the Uchiha clan finds out he is captured or harmed we wouldn't doubt for a second they would try to recreate the second Hokage's 'legacy', and Chikamatsu would rather not see that come to pass."

Inside the puppet Chika would use his byakugan to quickly scan his dumbass of a hokage to see if he had sustained any injuries, as well as check his chakra levels, which weren't looking the best. "We also recognize that we are not in the best position to ask, but for the sake of both of our villages Chikamatsu hopes that we can find a mutually beneficial agreement. If you need confirmation, we assume that your Kumogakure ally will give such a thing."

---

97.5/135 CP
Byakugan Stage 4; -0.3 CP (19 posts till strain)
97.2/135 CP

[Short post I know, but simple enough]

Tamwyn would be following Chikamatsu and when the puppeteer stopped to talk to Masaru and Yui, Tamwyn would wait to listen. He would wait until the woman, for Tamwyn didn't know Chikamatu was inside a puppet and thus assumed that the puppet was the real individual, stopped. When she was done Tamwyn would chime in. "My apologies for the intrusion Tsuchikage-sama." He would say, using the polite deference to a kage one was expected to utilize. "Miss Sakura, I expect your words to be unnecessary. If what you told me about the location of my comrades fight is try, then Lord Masaru and Miss Yui were traveling there now. With the Hokage in tow. One doesn't take defeated prisoners to a lethal fight unless they have a use. I suspect they intend to trade him in exchange of a full retreat on the side of the Mountain Alliance. Or at least of Konoha forces, the rest of the Alliance will fold quickly in this battle once they've gone I wager." He would say, his polite tone present as it usually was.

"With that said, Lord Masaru, Yui, this woman has effectively given up fighting in exchange for providing medical care for her ally in her arms. She proceeded to lead me to you two instead after I asked her to point me in the direction of the other fight so that I may intervene on my comrades behalf. If you two were going that way as well, might I suggest we all travel there?" He would say, keeping Seid's name out of the discussion out of a sense of habit. Inwardly, Tamwyn prepared for a potential fight against whoever Seid was facing, if they didn't surrender and retreat when confronted with three of their shinobi either unconscious, or otherwise unavailable to fight lest they cease treating the critically injured, then they would have to fight them.

Stubborn as a mule.... Both Yui and Masaru reacted harshly to his terms. It was what he expected. He hadn't actually proposed the terms with the intention of them accepting. He had only started jabbering to save what little of his dignity he had left. The weight of his defeat was crushing and it would do no good to panic and go into shock at a time like this. It was all acting and their responses allowed him to focus on something else except his own false hubris. When Yui punched him in the face, he fell over like a strawman. The girl was a hard hitter and with his stamina being drained to the point of exhaustion, he could no longer stay conscious.

As Nyguyen listened, he grew ever more tired. He was afraid he might die when Masaru evidenced an intent to let him live. A desperate attempt at winning favor with Konoha. Yui wanted to render him a vegetable. A fate worse than death in his father's eyes. Masaru stepped in and threw cold water on the idea immediately. He supposed he should be thankful for that but ultimately the two were now on a collision course that would consume their lives. Both of their honor was at stake and honor demanded that one of them fall. Masaru was set in his ways as was Nyguyen. Contrary to Konoha's perspective, the Tsuchikage saw Masuyo as a traitor and Akeno as a valiant hero. It made sense in the abstract, but that didn't mean it was in line with Nyg's interests. The man's passion for his clan, people, and country rivaled the Hokage's. It was indeed rare to meet such a man in a world filled with cut-throats and opportunists. Nyguyen met his eyes and uttered a final set of words. The darkness was coming and he couldn't fight it any longer.

"A..A-Admirable...but...."

He didn't get to finish. Instead, the Hokage collapsed as he succumbed to chakra exhaustion. The last thing he'd see is the sight of what looked like Chika's puppets running towards him.


[Nyg is officially unconscious. Given the surrender of the last post, this post will be my last post in this ToW.]

As the pair were leaving they were stopped turning around Yui saw the two shinobi, one said it was from Kumo an ally in this war and his hostage or something she guessed. She would stop and listen to them motioning for Nyg to continue on, if she had to she would fight these two but she hoped they were wise enough to not even think of such a foolish action.

"Oh Nyg your Hokage offered us terms, grovel and Konoha's feet and lick their asses for scraps in order to not be destroyed, we refused these insults of offers. He doesn't expect us to accept so he will go back to Konoha and say we refused fair offers, sadly he isn't smart tactic wise or he would have realized he stood zero chance against the two of us. I know you cant negotiate for your village so no point in trying to, this man and the cursed Uchiha clan refuse to negotiate with anyone. Once he heads back to Konoha Aki will arrive here in quick succession and kill every citizen in our village, because that's the type of man he is. So I am unsure what Masaru plans to do with the man but I already know your offer for peaceful terms is pointless as you have zero power in your village. I do like to offer thanks to you who helped defend us against these invaders, you did not have to but you did and I am most grateful for this. You can travel with us, but if either of you so much as twitch the wrong way I will blow you to pieces mark my words."

This was more of a vieled threat she would not likely lift a finger toward the Kumo nin, the Konoha shinobi however that was a true threat, she doubted the girl would be that stupid. If either had the ability to sense chakra they could see Masaru and Yui had tons of chakra in their tanks still and were uninjured and fully able to fight.

EXP:20X5=100
{Exit thread following Marasu carrying Nyg Nyguyen -> Headed for Kimi and Seids thread}

Masaru's eyes would narrow as he saw the approaching pair, the fact that one wore the Kumogakure symbol on his coat was the only reason he altered his path and moved towards them. He would stop approximately a hundred and fifty meters away from them, the unconscious Hokage on his right shoulder while his left hand rested on the hilt of Devorakos on his left hip. Masaru's eyes would look to the 'woman' and the Kumo nin each as they spoke, Yui would of course shout out her own reaction to these statements however Masaru would remain silent staring at the 'woman' until Yui had finished. "Now, now Yui there is no need for such aggression. They have lost the battle and they have realized that, there is no need for threats." His eyes would stay on the 'woman' while his spoke to Yui, before finally turning to face the Kumo male. "I will not speak to that thing, however Yui is correct It has no authority for negotiation. So I will tell you what I told this so-called Kage and you can convey it to your friend wherever she is hiding, Withdraw from My Lands. Those are my terms and there is no negotiating, Tsuchi no Kuni is free from the oppression of Konohagakure and as long as there is breath in my lungs it will remain as such. There will be no retaliation, no retribution, I do not want my people dying for some misguided sense of an ignorant man. If Konohagakure remains out of my lands then they have nothing to fear from me, but if they return I will kill them we will not be oppressed by them any longer. Now if you will excuse me there is still fighting going on and I would like to stop it before anyone else dies. Follow if you wish, but stay out of my way." Masaru would would look to Yui and nod before heading towards the battle still raging, the unconscious Hokage still upon his shoulder.

{Continuing Exit to Seid/Kimi Thread}

Chika, in his snazzy puppet armor would continue to follow them, taking advantage of the nine kilometers they would have to travel just to get near the other fight, and given how fast the Kage was moving, they still had a good eighteen or so minutes until they would even be able to see the battle going on in another part of the city. And even though he was in the armor, given his natural speed he could easily keep up with them. He made a note that the Kotoshura seemed to be taking it also a little easier as they were following the Kage, so they were probably faster then him. He'd ignore the 'thing' comment Masaru made, as he was right, the puppet wasn't alive.

"You both presume much, as I don't recall claiming that I came to negotiate for Konoha. I was sent to negotiate under the Hyuga clan, which I do have the authority for. Chikamatsu recognizes that you are in fact a proper Kage as he has seen the contract that you and Akari Uchiha agreed upon back when they were Hokage. I may not have power in the village, but to say a clan leader doesn't have any in a village is ignorant Yui of the Kotoshura."

"However we cannot withdraw until the Hokage comes with us, as he cannot withdraw in his current state. Chikamatsu would advise you though to not show the other Uchiha the Kage's body. He doubts that they will surrender just because of their kage and clanmate being knocked out and will instead try to fight all three of you at the same time."

The puppet armor would then close it's mechanical eyes for a few seconds, as if it were receiving new information. While it was hard to see, they could see a drop in chakra over at the other battle. "And if the new report I just received is correct Tsuchikage, they very well could pull it off seeing as they just defeated the other Kumo ninja. They are still alive, but I wouldn't put it past them to kill them if they see the Hokage's body in they way he looks right now. Better hurry on up, I can tell all of you are faster then you look." He wasn't actually sure if the defeated ninja was alive as the range was too far to scope in and see, but it was probably better to play it safe.

{Since I can't stop an exit without taking a physical action, I guess I'm exiting to the Seid/Kimi Thread as well unless Masaru stops his exit}

---

97.2/135 CP
Byakugan Stage 4; -0.3 CP (18 posts till strain)
96.9/135 CP

Tamwyn would blink in surprise at the threat of the blonde woman. Was she...actually that stupid? If she was worried about The Sparrow coming to demolish them then why in the world would she actually court the wrath of an entire other shinobi village? They had come to their defense, to stand with them. Yet this is how they acted towards them? The pale haired man would remember this and report it to Ryuko. It would be good for her to know that apparently Iwa's strongest Jounin was nothing more than a loose cannon. Masaru at least was civil and merely told the terms that he had apparently told to the now unconscious Hokage. But what he was interested in was the man's cold dismissal of the woman who was carrying Ari. Turning to look at 'Sakura' Tamwyn would eye her carefully, looking her up and down trying to figure out what in the world would classify her as a 'thing' in any sense of the word. He didn't really understand at that point, because unless Masaru actually stated what it was, Tamwyn couldn't know.

Still, everyone was traveling to the next battle zone and the Seraph of Lightning would not be left behind. Besides, according to 'Sakura' then Seid had fallen and he might need assistance. So Tamwyn would move to follow them at his best speed, coming into flanking position of Masaru to guard his back. He was the key to Iwagakure, and if he fell Konoha would have an easy time of sweeping away whatever support for the new regime there might be. "I wonder if we can convince the Uchiha to surrender and leave either way.." He would muse to himself as they traveled toward the next part of the warzone.

[Exiting to the Seid/Kimi Thread]

That's 2 posts made at 35 a post for a total of 70 from this topic.

That puts me at 195 total exp earned counting this topic and this one.