| [May. 8th, 2014|03:47 am] |
Another crack of lightning flashed, casting their black and white uniforms into stark relief. “I’ve got the same issue with my Toi no tetsu o hakai,” Genma said. “It doesn’t need direct contact, but it can latch onto any iron nearby, including your weapons or mine, or Hound's.” And, he hoped, the iron holding together Iebara’s blood blades.
He had another jutsu he could reach for, kinzoku o hikidaru, that could pull iron straight from the blood in a target’s veins, but like most medical jutsu, the metal condensing technique required direct, sustained contact to work. He just had to hope the metal corruption jutsu could do the job. The blood wasoutside Iebara’s body, and the iron in the blood blades was no different than the iron in a katana or kunai, in theory.
Even if it didn’t work, he could still try to push Iebara away from Kakashi, towards Ryouma.
“You and I should come at Iebara from two sides to minimize the risk. I’ll try to draw him towards me. Give him a bleeding clone to reach for.”
He spoke low, trusting the downpour to keep them from being overheard by the distant Mist ninja. A quick sweep of his chakra-sense picked out the familiar flicker of his own clones, his teammates, one sickly twisted signature engaged with Kakashi, and the three Mist ninja they could see. “They don’t have any clones in play,” Genma said, as he poured chakra into making a third kage bunshin as lifelike as possible, this time adding back the bleeding shoulder wound. It crouched with them, hiding itself from prying eyes.
Ryouma glanced back towards the tense knot of Mist ninja. “Let's hope they stay out of play altogether. They don't look happy.” He turned his face back to Genma, dark eyes fierce and glittering in the shadowed recesses of his mask. “Lieutenant,” he said. “Whatever you do, don't get in the way. I won't fire if there's any danger to you or Hound, but— Just stay clear.”
Genma’d seen the carnage Ryouma’s jutsu had wreaked on the demons. He’d watched Ryouma reduce a man-sized pig carcass to putrid slime in a matter of minutes at the ANBU Trials. Genma’s jutsu could destroy a shinobi’s weapons, but Ryouma’s would take a life in an eyeblink.
“I’ll be careful. If you don’t have a clear shot, use fire again. I’m fire-affinity, too; I can add to it.”
Ryouma nodded. “Hound's not fire, but better a little singed than bled out.” He rocked from a kneel to a crouch, shoulders tensing as he prepared to move. “Got a signal for me?”
“I’ll pulse my tattoo spark twice,” Genma said. Kakashi would feel it, too, but by the time Genma gave the signal they’d be within Kakashi’s sight—he’d be able to see it wasn’t a distress call.
Ryouma nodded an acknowledgement.
“You wanted to call down tigers,” Genma said. “Let’s go.” He and his new clone bolted to their feet as one and took off at a dead run towards the bright flare of Kakashi’s chakra. Lightning cracked again, striking a tall tree in the grove not far from where Kakashi and Iebara were battling. The thunderclap was almost instantaneous and deafening, leaving Genma’s ears ringing as he raced towards the fight. Ryouma darted left as he swung right, going for the flank. |
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