Bullies Meet Brains [Kinzoku or Invite]

”FREAK! FREAK! EMIKO'S A FREAK!”, the taunting voice called out towards her. With a very soft sigh Emiko lifted her head and looked in the direction the taunt had come from. Her golden cat like gaze took in the sight of four boys roughly two or three years older then her who had just entered into the park. They had spotted her and had apparently felt the need to torment her.

'Why couldn't they just avoid her like their parents did?', she found herself thinking. She had come to the park for some peace and quiet; a chance to get out of her little one bedroom apartment and get some fresh air – as well as get some reading done since she had recently bought a new book.

Emiko drew her attention back onto the book in her lap, pulled down the corner so that she wouldn't lose her page, and shut the book up. She opened the flap of her brown leather shoulder bag and slipped the book carefully back inside. A sudden glance to her right showed her that the four boys were coming closer: apparently her lack of response wasn't enough to dissuade them to move on elsewhere. Emiko hastily shut her bag, snapping the buckle shut, and slipped the strap over her head so that it laid diagonal across her chest.

She then stood up, her black knee length skirt brushing against her leggings as she moved swiftly in the opposite direction of the four boys; black knee length boots crunching leaves beneath her feet. She folded her arms tightly across her chest as if she were attempting to fold in on herself as she went. Behind her she could hear footsteps, hurried sounding ones: the four boys were attempting to catch up to her. She could also hear snatches of laughter and snickering; they certainly were up to no good.

Emiko had no intentions of a physical confrontation: she wasn't a physical fighter by any means – she relied on her brain and her Genjutsu, specifically her ability to 'talk' her way into and out of situations. The last thing she wanted was to find herself alone with these four boys. She turned suddenly, sharply, and stared at them. Yin release chakra laced her voice as she spoke enhancing her words directed towards the boys, ”Go away.” The boys faltered for a moment, as if confused as to why they suddenly wished to do exactly that, but it didn't last and they began to move towards her again.

Word Count Genjutsu Training: 425 / 2,000

Jutsu and Chakra Used:

Another graduation... Special Jounin. Ever closer to getting his gourd back. How were higher ups taking his rapid ascension through the ranks? It didn't really matter to him much. Even though he'd become much stronger and fater than he'd been before, there was still a lot of work to be done. More rigorous training would be coming. More missions.

He was considering what to do next when he could hear the word "freak." He almost thought someone was calling him that, but he turned his head just in time to see 4 individuals hurrying after a female with red hair. He thought that perhaps it could have been Artemis again, with a new hairdo, so Kinzoku changed directions and started in that direction.

Walking with his hands in his pockets, the realization came to Kinzoku that this girl wasn't Artemis. Who was this?... someone new in the village? Someone he hadn't noticed before?... Kinzoku wasn't exactly involved in the social networks of the village, so a lot of things went over his head, being so focused on his training. He could tell that these 4 had bad intentions for whoever this female was. Kinzoku, normally not carrying about the affairs or problems of others, couldn't exactly just walk away from a situation like this.

A sweeping kick came from below, from right to left, catching them by complete surprise. It knocked 2 of the guys after the female completely off of their feet, sending their bodies into a cartwheel. Kinzoku continued to spin to the left after this sweep, making it back to his feet right as the 2 guys were upside down, their legs up in the air. A right hook was launched next, hitting the guy on the right and throwing him into his pal to his left. Both of them were thrown a distance and slammed into a wall to fall onto their heads.

The others would look to see a tall individual in a red top with yellow trim; the collar large enough to hide the bottom half of his face from view, showing only a pair of yellow eyes. He wore knee length black pants, black fingerless gloves and black sandals. He had skin the color of chocolate and black frizzy hair that resembled a worn out Brillo pad. A calm, plain expression was on what could be seen of his face, his eyes half closed, his hands in his pockets.

"...So what is it with multiple guys trying to take advantage of one girl?" he asked. "You guys are giving the village a bad rep. Why don't you play with me instead, eh?"


Ninjutsu Training (Word Count continuing from here)
Nin: D - C: 442 + 1,660 = 2,102 / 2,000
Nin: C - B: 102 / 3,000

Emiko had been about to turn around and continue walking away when suddenly there arrived another individual clad in a red top with yellow trim. The individuals face was mostly hidden, but her own golden colored cat-like eyes noticed the yellow color of his own. She watched as he quickly dispatched of two of the four with a series of well calculated taijutsu abilities. She glanced over to the two who had been fallen onto their heads: she was no taijutsu expert but she could guess they wouldn't likely be getting up right away, that much was for sure. She could also assume that they were going to have a nasty headache when they finally did manage to.

Then her attention was suddenly snagged back as one of the two remaining standing spoke, ”Dude! Why the hell are you defending this freak? Even Emiko's own parents didn't want her.”

”Yeah, those Sabure freaks even knew she was good for nothing, dude.”

Emiko's hands clenched into fists as a frown formed on her once emotionless face: she hated how many people knew about her family, about her situation. But, it wasn't all that surprising really: her parents had been very vocal about removing her from the family tree – they hadn't wanted to lose their standing in the Sabure family after all. No, that position, that reputation, it had been far more important then Emiko. Thus, she had been an orphan since she was six years old.

”Shut... up...”, Emiko bit out, hands shaking from how tightly she had her fists clenched: not that she planned on using them – physical fighting just wasn't her style.

”What's wrong freak? Can't handle the truth? Haha. I guess the old saying about the truth is true; it hurts.”

”Yeah, freak.”, his friend chimed in, agreeing. ”Why don't you leave? Go on somewhere. If your own family didn't want you what makes you think anyone else in this village will? You should leave, we'd be better off that way, freak.”

This wasn't exactly the first time that Emiko had heard these words, nor was it the first time that she had thought about such a thing. But she knew deep down that running would only give them the satisfaction of knowing that they won – that they had got deep under her skin, and that was the one thing she didn't want.

Word Count Genjutsu D – C: 404 + 425 = 829 / 2,000

Emiko?... He knew her. One of the only females who didn't look at him like some sort of creature. He'd known her for years, but with his own withdrawn nature he never really tried getting too close to her. Where had she been? He was surprised that she didn't recognize him. It probably had to do with the crazy training regimen he'd been putting himself through, which had him looking scarred and more muscular. There would only be more to come.

One of them said Emiko was a freak, and that her parents didn't want her. The other added on to that to say the Sabures were also freaks. "...I might as well be a freak too then, right?... " Kinzoku said, looking grim. "So, us freaks have to look out for each other. You so-called "normal" people... you never stop to consider the fact that we never had control over what happened to us, that maybe life just dealt us a bad hand... You just point fingers laugh and call names. But when we smash your face in, we get labled the "bad guys," the "monsters"..."

What looked like steam began to rise from Kinzoku's arms, making his top move around int the vapors and winds being given off. "But then there's me... I don't mind being called a freak, a monster... I've come to terms with what I am. So, want to try kicking me out of the village next?" Ordinarily Kinzoku didn't talk so much, but the amount of bullies in this village was becoming ridiculous. Still, they'd make excellent training dummies. The steam began to emit from his arms even harder, whipping up leaves and whatever else happened to be on the ground around them as he started to walk closer to the 2 bullies.

WC Ninjutsu Training C - B: 302 + 102 = 404 / 3,000

Emiko couldn't understand why people had to pick on others: bullies and the like made no sense to her. Why did people feel such a need to kick others while they were down? Yes, her parents had kicked her out of the family because she was incapable of using Sand Release, on top of her strange gold cat-like eyes that made her different then the other Sabure family members. But still, that was no reason to add insult to injury by tormenting her every single day of her life for it. It all sickened her, really, though she tried her hardest to keep her face composed.

She was shaken from her train of thoughts as this yellow eyed individual began to speak. There was something about his words, about the things that he was saying, that made her really take a good look at him. His eyes stood out, and it took her several minutes to remember why: he reminded her of someone... Kinzoku! Could it be? He looked different; stronger, tougher. As if he had been doing a boat load of training in a very short period of time. But, she was positive that it had to be him even though it had been a while since she had last saw him.

”No—no. No, we don't want to kick you out. We're sorry, man. We'll leave.” the kid stuttered out. He knew he couldn't win a fight against Kinzoku, not after what Kinzoku had already done to his other two friends, so the last thing he wanted was his ass to be handed to him next.

His other friend seemed to catch on to the need to bail out, however he looked to Emiko and pointed at her. ”This isn't over freak. We'll be back when your bodyguard isn't here...”, he threatened.

”Dude, shut up! Not in front of him you idiot...”

Emiko couldn't help but roll her eyes: she had heard a threat similar to this before. She was going to have to figure out a long term solution for these bullies if she was going to end up getting any sort of peace and quiet. She watched then as the two guys started to back away: they wanted out of here before a beat down happened, but would they get the chance? Emiko glanced at Kinzoku, wondering if he was going to allow them to walk away and escape, especially after making it clear that they were going to come back at a later time.

Word Count Genjutsu D – C: 424 + 829 = 1,253 / 2,000

It seemed like the two idiots were growing brains... well, one of them at least. The second stated that it wasn't over between them all. Despite the threat, Kinzoku began to calm down. The vapors stopped spewing from his arms, causing his clothes to stop moving. He didn't exactly want to unleash his new move just yet anyway, not to the likes of these clowns.

They started to back away, but Kinzoku wasn't going to chase them. Even though that wouldn't have been very easy. "Have a nice one, guys... and if I catch wind that you bothered her, or anyone else in this village... I will find you," Kinzoku said, now with a serious look in those yellow eyes. "And next time we meet, there won't be any talking. Be sure to take that with you and remember it if you catch her alone again..."

Kinzoku didn't have a whole lot of experience with females. His only love ad been fighting and getting stronger. Kinzoku had recently made changes and decided to go about life differently; giving up his gourd, starting at the rank of Genin, and re-training all of his skills to re-earn his gourd. He knew somewhere down the line he would have to become more sociable with people, male and female, and not be the mute loner psychopath that he once was. The kage seemed to give him praise because of those drug dealers, and even the many kids around stated that they thought he was cool.

His hands were still in his pants pockets, looking off in some random direction. "I see you still know how to lure them in," he said in a sarcastic tone. "Finally back from the holiday vacation? What kept you?"

WC Ninjutsu Training C - B: 294 + 404 = 798 / 3,000

Emiko watched as the two continued to back away. They paused at Kinzoku's threat, looked back at Emiko, and then turned and ran off. Whether or not they'd actually return she didn't know, but something in her gut told her this wasn't over yet, not by a long shot. Bullies never seemed to learn on the first time around, or even the second time really. She sighed softly and lifted her right hand, using it to push her bangs backwards and out of her golden colored eyes. A frown remained on her face, though the tension in her shoulders relaxed, as did her hands from the fists they'd been balled in. Unlike them she felt no fear towards Kinzoku; if anything she felt a sort of kinship – they both seemed to know exactly how hard life could suck sometimes, and how often it liked to kick you when you were already down.

She slowly turned her golden gaze onto Kinzoku as he spoke. She shook her head slightly and sighed. ”I wish it was a vacation...”, she said with a wince as she rubbed the back of her head thinking about what exactly had caused her to disappear. ”For as much as what they say sucks, it's true.. I am a freak. My parents showed up and felt the need to remind me of that. Sabure family justice they called it. I went into hiding for a bit until I was sure they were gone. Being crushed into a pile of goo isn't exactly on my list of things to do, and I couldn't trust them not to kill me if they did find me alone... Thankfully when I spotted them I was in the market.” She knew that was going to be a confrontation later to come, but hopefully she was prepared for it when it did happen.

Another sigh escaped her and she shook her head at her own thoughts. ”This is all a bother... it looks like I'll have to start training up. If it's not these bullies it's my family.. Speaking of training; you look like you've been busy, Kinzoku. I almost didn't recognize you.”

Word Count Genjutsu D – C: 366 + 1,253 = 1,619 / 2,000

”For as much as what they say sucks, it's true.. I am a freak. My parents showed up and felt the need to remind me of that. Sabure family justice they called it. I went into hiding for a bit until I was sure they were gone. Being crushed into a pile of goo isn't exactly on my list of things to do, and I couldn't trust them not to kill me if they did find me alone... Thankfully when I spotted them I was in the market.”

She said she really was a freak, but Kinzoku wasn't convinced. She had strange eyes, but then, so did he. What set them apart was the fact that she had parents, whereas, his mother abandoned him, and he found out from bullies of his own that his father was a bandit, a dirty piece of shit probably out in the world somewhere, pillaging and raping.

She said her family tried to kill her in so many words... "Crushed into a pile of goo." The Sabure were sand manipulators, somewhat like his iron sand. Crushed to death wasn't exactly a peaceful way of checking out, as noted from the faces of the many victims killed by his gourd. So, not only did she have bullies to worry about, she also had to be on the lookout from her won family.

He didn't really know what to say. It wasn't right, that was for sure. "...I gave up my gourd," he said. "Decided it was time for a change... I started at the bottom; i'm working my way back up from the basics. Just made Special Jounin, so i'm halfway there. it's only going to get harder from here on in..."

Kinzoku wasn't the type to get sentimental and mushy, but he couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. They were both in the same boat; no one seemed to care. they both were mistakes the world seemed to just... throw out with the rest of the trash. "Listen... If you need a hand training... or an extra to go along on missions, I don't mind helping... I'm still in training myself. I'll also be on the look out for those idiots... There seems to be a lot of them around here nowadays. Some of them have a grudge with me too. Those clowns there might be in with the ones mad at me..."

More fights would be coming. More techniques would have to be learned. Kinzoku thought it about time to get his hands on a signature move of sorts, just until he managed to get his gourd back...

WC Ninjutsu Training C - B: 442 + 798 = 1,240 / 3,000

"...I gave up my gourd,Decided it was time for a change... I started at the bottom; i'm working my way back up from the basics. Just made Special Jounin, so i'm halfway there. it's only going to get harder from here on in..."

Emiko almost couldn't believe it when he said he had given up his gourd: to start back from the beginning was a very hard thing to do, especially after having come so far to begin with. But, those who started over ended up even stronger the second time around: they were able to learn from their mistakes and refine their techniques, so perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Before Emiko could comment about him starting over his next words caused her to pause, stunned. "Listen... If you need a hand training... or an extra to go along on missions, I don't mind helping... I'm still in training myself. I'll also be on the look out for those idiots... There seems to be a lot of them around here nowadays. Some of them have a grudge with me too. Those clowns there might be in with the ones mad at me..."

He was willing to help her despite all of the training he himself had to do? She knew Kinzoku wasn't a bad guy despite what people tried to say: she herself was a victim of the rumor mill so she knew all about it. People liked to talk, but never had the facts, and even if they did they didn't know what it felt to be kicked while already down. ”Really? That'd be sweet. I've been meaning to get a head start on some missions – paying for my own apartment isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be – though it beats the orphanage that's for sure. I'm not a physical fighter so it makes it harder to take on the better paying ones myself... though, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve I've been working on.”

She then looked off in the direction that the bullies had gone. ”I want to be ready for when they come back... I'm tired of just letting them get away with what they've been.” Oh, she knew revenge didn't solve anything, but she sure did want to make sure that she could defend herself if it came down to it.

Word Count Genjutsu D – C: 406 + 1,619 = 2,025 / 2,000
Remaining: 25
Word Count Inton Release D – C: 25 / 1,000

Elsewhere in the city, the bullies met up with some of their other bully friends. Kinzoku was right in his hunch that all of them were in together. The big man that Kinzoku knocked out in front of the Kage had just been released from custody, and was currently furious. The two who left with threats arrived on the scene of their hideout, an apartment building near the site of the one Kinzoku burned down, helping their two buddies that Kinzoku knocked down.

"What the hell happened?" asked the big man.

"Some guy with yellow eyes," was the answer from one of them. "We were about to give it to that freak Emiko when he showed up. The guy is hella strong..."

"Kinzoku?" said the big man with a frown. "...He got the drop on me last time... it won't happen again..." some of his teeth were missing from the encounter. He still had bruises and dark colored wounds from the incident. "...And you're telling me you let him flatten you?"

"He's-he's freakishly strong, boss, we-we had to bail outta there before we ended up any worse..."

"Whatever. Bring your useless asses, we're goin after em."

"But-but boss, if he's even strong enough to take you down, then how will we--"

"We'll overwhelm em with numbers, that's how! Now bring your asses!"

_________

”Really? That'd be sweet. I've been meaning to get a head start on some missions – paying for my own apartment isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be – though it beats the orphanage that's for sure. I'm not a physical fighter so it makes it harder to take on the better paying ones myself... though, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve I've been working on.”

Not a physical fighter... That meant until she increased her skills, she wouldn't last very long on her own. Kinzoku had her figured for a Ninjutsu user, or perhaps Genjutsu, or one that made the most of her elements. She'd have to work just as hard as he would. the next thing Kinzoku would have to learn would be how to manipulate Doton. Maybe these bullies would continue to be test dummies, if Temaki didn't step in and put an end to it all. Even if she did, Kinzoku still had a few ideas.

Kinzoku was about to say something, until he noticed that they were being surrounded. He looked to his left to see thugs. Some of them scarred; he recognized them from the past few days. He looked to his right to see more. He looked past Emiko to see a few more. The ground began to tremble, and Kinzoku was able to figure out who was coming even without looking. it had to be the big guy from the other day in the park, the one who was knocked out with just two punches. He must have been released from custody. Kinzoku knew that he wasn't going to let being humiliated like that go. He would want revenge. Kinzoku was fine with that. Even thought the odds were against them, his expression didn't change at all.

He slowly turned to face the big guy, who looked pissed off. "...I was wondering when i'd see you again," he said calmly. "Back for more?"

WC Ninjutsu training C - B: 552 + 1,240 = 1,792 / 3,000

Emiko began to mentally plan what all she needed to do: she knew that her Genjutsu needed some vast improvements. The skill that she had used earlier was a powerful one when used properly, she just had to get to that point: to where she would be able to essentially control someone into doing anything she wanted them to do. Her element, Yin Release, was specifically designed to enhance specialties such as Genjutsu, therefore that would need work as well. It wouldn't necessarily be hard per say – not physically tiring, or physically painful like what physical training could be, but it would definitely be tiring mentally and very chakra taxing. Still, she was willing to do it because it was either evolve and adapt, or die. Literally, considering her own family was now after her. Plus, she was sure these bullies would be back.

She noticed that Kinzoku seemed ready to say something until something distracted him: that something being the many thug looking individuals who suddenly arrived. A quick glance to her left and right showed that they were surrounded. However, this wasn't what bothered her: no, the man who was so large that he was making the ground tremble and vibrate did. Her golden gaze fell upon him and then widened. Oh boy... Kinzoku had pissed that big guy off? That was likely an interesting story to hear, if she could convince him to tell it later on.

She noticed among this group two of the four bullies; the two who had apparently been pretending to see the error in their ways. They were back for round two, she guessed. She assumed they thought that because they were out numbered vastly they would now stand a chance. Something in Emiko's gut told her this wasn't going to be the case. She herself wasn't going to stand by and do nothing; oh no, she might have been physically weak but she did have a few tricks up her sleeve.

Taking a deep, and calming breath she allowed herself to focus: she couldn't get upset or all caught up in her own thoughts with her skill set – it wouldn't allow her to concentrate how she was going to need to. ”Kinzoku, you whooped this big guy's ass?”, she asked curiously, sizing the big guy up once more while keeping track of the other individuals around them: she didn't intend on allowing any of them to even lay a finger on her. ”He looks like a big, rotten, bully...”

Word Count Inton D – C: 426 + 25 = 451 / 1,000

"HE JUST GOT LUCKY!!"

The big man yelled this, and it seemed his voice shook the ground too. Being humiliated by Kinzoku was something he'd never live down, and he knew it. The big man was enraged, his skin turning red, sweating, with veins popping out of his neck, arms and bald head. Some of his guys were scared, and back away from him. Kinzoku, his hands in his pockets, continued to look calm and collected. He knew the big man would be a problem if he were to get his hands on Emiko, but the smaller fry didn't seem like much of a problem. Even though Emiko was probably just starting out, she'd be more than enough to handle the low rate goons here.

The big man shoved some of the smaller fry towards Kinzoku. They started to execute basic punches and kicks, all of which were either blocked or dodged, all with his hands still in his pockets. Some of the others approached from behind while this went on, attempting to get the drop on Emiko. After so long of dodging and blocking, Kinzoku began to return fire. Kicks and punches land on the jaws and faces of those in front of him. An axe kick knocks one of them on their face, non-moving afterward. A roundhouse kick sends another barrel rolling through the air. 2 head butts to the chest of another has him collapse to the ground in terrible pains, clutching his chest.

The last one was delivered a punch combo that ended with a haymaker, which sent him speeding like a bullet towards the big man. He swatted the small fry aside like an insect, causing him to change directions and smash into a wall. He wasn't moving afterwards either. the big man just looked more angry.

"This... won't end well," said Kinzoku.

"FOR YOU!" added the big man.

"You think so, huh?" The big man shoved more small fry in Kinzoku's direction. He began to block and dodge as he did the first time. "What are you hoping for?" asked Kinzoku calmly as he dodged and blocked blows easily. "That they tire me out, and you finish me off?... it's a good strategy but I trained too hard for it to work. You should join in with them if you really want a chance."

This added fuel to the big man's fire. He did join in, swinging those massive tree trunk arms, but all he managed to hit were his own guys, as Kinzoku had become too evasive. He was even faster than he was in their last encounter. Flattening his own guys and not being able to touch Kinzoku was beginning to push the big man over the edge.

WC Ninjutsu training C-B: 460 + 1,792 = 2,252 / 3,000

Emiko couldn't help but giggle; something she figured would probably only piss the big guy off. This was, of course, part of Emiko's usual thinking strategy: get into the opponents mind and make it so that they couldn't think straight. It led to all sorts of issues in the end when they began to use their anger to fight instead of their brains: not that these guys seemed like they had any that is. It was quite clear that this big guy didn't like the idea that Kinzoku had whooped his ass – didn't like it being mentioned, and she was sure that the same thing was about to happen again. This guy definitely was going to have to be taught whatever lesson Kinzoku had taught him again, as were the rest of the thugs and goons. Maybe they would get the hint this time around? Then again, maybe not...

Emiko wasn't blind to those attempting to sneak up behind her, and they were going to learn quickly that just because she wasn't a physical fighter didn't mean she was helpless. When the first goon attempted to grab her from behind she jumped rather high into the air. At the peak of her jump she flipped backwards, her hand going out and being placed on the goons shoulder who had made the grabbing attempt. This acted as leverage for her to continue with her flip and land, twisting her body at the last moment so she would be facing the opposite direction from which she started. Just as the goon she was now facing attempted to punch her she ducked, allowing the goon to punch his shocked looking buddy on the back of the head. Not wanting to give the goon the chance to try again she ducked out from beneath the two of them, gracefully avoiding a third who made the same attempt to grab her as the first. The goon that had been punched went down with a curse while his buddy who had punched him just started to look pissed off and annoyed.

Another giggle escaped Emiko, and a very wicked glint filled her golden colored eyes, as she looked at the goons. They all looked at each other; her small stature had obviously made them think they would have it easy – at least compared to their buddies whose asses were being beaten by Kinzoku, and their larger buddy when he hit the wrong person. But, this wasn't going to be the case.

Emiko let out a sudden whistle, triggering another of her favorite sound based Genjutsu abilities. From the surrounding area copies of herself began to emerge, only able to be seen by those thugs she was facing as they were the ones the Genjutsu was cast on. These copies started out as five, but as one of the goons attempted to throw a punch and hit one of these copies – his fist going straight through – this copy split in half. Another attempt at a punch and two more copies emerged.

Emiko took several steps back, keeping the Genjutsu aimed at them as they continued to swing at these false copies of Emiko only to cause them to multiple each and every time. After only a few attempts at striking these clones did the goons finally begin to look terrified: now surrounded by over fifteen Emiko's. One of them screamed and turned and ran in terror – but not before pissing himself on the spot, leaving the area, and it didn't take his buddies more then a fraction of a second to follow suit: all of them screaming as they ran. Emiko smiled in a satisfied manner and then focused her attention on the remaining goons, wondering if any of them would try her after she had obviously terrified several of their friends.

Word Count Inton D – C: 646 + 451 = 1,097 / 1,000

Jutsu and Chakra:

Kinzoku heard screaming behind him, meaning Emiko was at work. He didn't hear any hits being delivered, which had to mean she was messing with their minds with a Genjutsu technique, confirming his earlier hunch. Kinzoku jumped around and ducked low to the ground, avoiding the swings of the big man, who growled furiously when he did, the sound coming from his throat highly reminiscent of some kind of wild animal.

"STAND STILL," yelled the big man.

"Sure. If only it were that simple, right?" answered Kinzoku, jumping over the big man's speeding right arm. He twisted his body as he jumped over the arm, extending his right leg to kick the big man in his face. The kick was delivered with the force that knocked his body sideways, and spit from his jaw. The big man angrily threw a left that Kinzoku ducked under, allowing him to return fire with a punch of his own to his right leg, making the big man stumble.

With a loud frustrated yell, the big man tried to clap Kinzoku together between those massive palms. Both arms swing toward each other, the palms coming together with a loud clap sound. Kinzoku avoided this and caught him with the same gut blow as before, knocking the wind out of him. With him being stunned, Kinzoku felt it was a good a time as any to try out a new ability. Again, what seemed to be steam began to emit from his arms.

A flurry of rapid punches were launched from Kinzoku, all impacting random areas on the big man. They were delivered with such force and speed that the big man looked like he was dancing. A chakra enhanced haymaker came to end this combo. The big man was knocked backwards at a high rapidity. he rolled and tumbled across the concrete, doing him further damage. His trek ended when he smashed into a large garbage dumpster, creating an explosion of paper, half eaten food, and filth. The goons standing around didn't know what to make of this, but knew better than to keep trying to attack Kinzoku if their boss, a mounain of a man, was having his ass handed to him in this fashion.

Hot Fist:

This wasn't enough to keep him down, though. He was fueled by pure rage and adrenalin, determined to break the yellow eyed freak. By now, many pedestrians and villagers would be watching the brawl. Kinzoku didn't much care for the spectators, but had to make sure none of them god dragged into this. The big man got back to his feet quickly, yelling, bruised and bleeding. Red marks could be seen on his head and body from the impact of the chakra enhanced blows.

He ran towards Kinzoku again, each step shaking the ground violently, and tried to bowl over him. Kinzoku of course avoided him. A right hand was thrown violently toward Kinzoku, the fist heard cutting the air because of the power behind it. Kinzoku ducked, grabbed the wrist, and broke this arm over his shoulder using the big man's own momentum against him, bending the arm the wrong way at the elbow with a loud audible crack sound. The big man was yelling, only now it was cries of pain. People standing around went "ooohh" and looked disgusted.

WC Ninjutsu Training C - B: 554 + 2,252 = 2,806 / 3,000

Emiko laughed outright. The big guy really expected Kinzoku to stand still so that he could land a hit? That was ridiculous. Apparently Kinzoku thought so too because he apparently had no intentions of standing still and taking a beating like that. Emiko's attention then shifted on to the thugs that were left behind. They seemed too scared to join in anymore in the fighting: apparently seeing their boss getting his ass handed to him like he was was enough to get them to pause and think twice. That didn't meant that Emiko was about to let them get away free though: what would stop them from coming back later on? No, an example needed to be set. They needed to be taught a lesson, too, even if that made her a tiny bit like a bully herself.

As the sound the crowd reached her ears her attention shifted momentarily back to Kinzoku who had broken the big guys arm. Grinning slightly she moved over towards the remaining thugs. Half of them looked away from the fight and towards her, and out of those half at least half of that took several steps back. They had no idea what she had done to their companions, but apparently they were scared to find out.

”So, who wants to play next?”, she asked clearly, making them look her in the face. The moment it happened her third Genjutsu of the day started. The scene around those thugs trapped within the Genjutsu would change, becoming that of a old castle. Following this vicious looking cats would appear, beginning to swipe at those trapped within the Genjutsu. As they hit back these cats would begin to multiple to overwhelming amounts. To any thugs not trapped in the Genjutsu it would simply look as if their companions were swiping and kicking in terror at nothing but thin air.

”It's not fun when the bullied begin fighting back, is it?”, she asked in a hardened tone of voice. Screaming erupted from those caught within the Genjutsu at that point, the felines having overwhelmed them in a sense. Those trapped in the Genjutsu turned, fleeing in terror and screaming the entire way. A glint of satisfaction filled Emiko's eyes before her attention shifted onto the remaining thugs. Would Kinzoku handle these? Would they simply run off? Or would she get to have some more fun by casting yet another Genjutsu?

Word Count for Inton C – B: 620 + 97 = 717 / 1,500

Jutsu and Chakra:

There more more screams behind Kinzoku, as more of the thugs had obviously fell victim to another one of Emiko's mind games. The chorus of screams added on to the screaming of the big man, who's arm was bent in the wrong direction and hanging, dangling from his arm like a limp noodle. This was just an edition to his injuries. The burns from the super heated punches began to turn purple and puss over. One of his eyes began to blacken, and more teeth had been knocked from his mouth.

He didn't let any of this stop him though. His left arm still fresh, he swung it towards, kinzoku's head, who easily saw it coming through the big man's rage, and avoided it. "This is getting boring," Kinzoku said. "Why don't you call it quits. Take whatever's left of your dignity and go home, yeah? Come back and try again when your injuries heal."

"DON'T TALK DOWN AT ME!!"

He kept swinging. Kinzoku kept dodging. He knew there wasn't much else the big man could do, but his pride was getting in the way of his brains. Kinzoku ducked under a punch and returned fire with an uppercut, knocking the big man upright and causing him to stumble backwards. While stumbling, Kinzoku kicked the big man in his left knee, the sandal making contact with the joint with a pop and a crunch, which made him start screaming again. The big man was then swept off of his feet, causing him to crash on one side of his head which gave a great tremble of the ground.

The big man kept trying to get back up, but found himself unable to rise with one of his arms and legs injured. "You... ASSHOLE," he yelled as he repeatedly tried to push himself back to his feet; his pains and injuries making this impossible. "You're DEAD! DEAD! you HEAR ME!?" The big man was having trouble catching his breath. Kinzoku simply stared calmly at him wallowing in the dirt, it mixing in with his wounds and no doubt giving him more pains. Kinzoku had no desire to kick him while he was down, though it would have been very easy to do so.

Kinzoku looked at some of his goons that were left over, ones that weren't caught in one of Emiko's Genjutsu and just standing there, scared for their lives. "Why don't you guys help him home, nurse his wounds, instead of just standing there like a bunch of lost dogs, huh? Like I said last time... feel free to attack me any time. Just make sure your ready so you don't end up like him, alright?"

The thugs continued to looks scared. Perhaps they knew that the next time they saw Kinzoku, he'd be even stronger, so they had a lot of catching up to do if they truly planned on beating him, which was highly unlikely. Some of them cautiously began helping the big man up and away from the scene....

WC Ninjutsu Training C - B: 506 + 2,806 = 3,312 / 3,000
312 Remains
3rd Element Doton training D rank: 312 / 4,000

The big guy had been given a very serious beating at the hands of Kinzoku: he looked like he had some kind of burns, a black eye, very obvious badly broken arm, and he was injured so badly that he couldn't even get up anymore on his own after Kinzoku finished putting him down for the final time. Her golden gaze then snapped over to the remaining thugs as Kinzoku instructed them to go on and help their boss instead of just standing there. Emiko took several steps back, making a sweeping motion with her hand: she had no intentions of stopping them but she also wasn't going to allow them to get close enough to touch her or attempt to make a grab at her.

Emiko folded her arms across her chest as she watched the thugs begin to help the big guy and get him out of the area. She watched them for several seconds before turning her golden gaze onto Kinzoku. ”That was... interesting. You knocked that big guy around like he was weightless.” She glanced off in the direction the thugs had gone, frowning slightly.

”Do you think they'll come back for another round?” He seemed to have more experience with the thugs then she did, so she was deferring to him for that reason. She had no issues handling one or two at a time, maybe even three or four though she thought that that was pushing it, but if they found her alone in those numbers they had shown up in? She was done for, and she was smart enough to realize this. It was something that she had every intention of avoiding.

”Something tells me some of them probably live in my neighborhood...”, she added as an after thought, sighing. Emiko had gotten the cheapest of the cheap apartment; it was the only thing she could afford. So, of course, this meant that this apartment of hers wasn't in the best of locations. She was definitely going to have to train more to be able to defend herself better: though, she already was beginning to feel stronger. Those Genjutsu she had used had been rather powerful...

Word Count Inton C – B: 369 + 717 = 1,086 / 1,500

The thugs were helping the big man away from the scene. They were arguing among themselves, because of the loss, and because some of them were grabbing the big man in the wrong places, causing him to scream and yell. It would be just a matter of time before they licked their wounds and came sniffing around for another try at sinking their teeth in. The ones that remained in their mouths, anyway.

Emiko said that the fight was interesting, and that Kinzoku had knocked the big man around as if he were weightless, to which Kinzoku responded with just a shrug of his shoulders. he wasn't one to brag. He wasn't one that really responded to compliments either. Kinzoku knew he still had quite a way to go before he was really where he wanted to be, and figured this incident made a fair amount of training. All of this fighting around the village would probably attract the attention of Temaki again though, he knew this.

When Emiko asked if they'd come back, Kinzoku nodded his head. "Unfortunately," he responded. "They're kinda stupid that way... but they make good training dummies. Just try not to let too many of them catch you alone..." But then she said something about them living where she did, which was probably likely with the fact that she said she was living in a shabby 1 bedroom. Kinzoku knew they weren't above attacking someone where they lived and lie their head at night.

"I think there's a vacancy in the building I live in, or the one across from it," he said. "These morons don't often come around where I live. I don't think they even know, honestly. After this, they're gonna be looking for any opportunity to catch you by yourself, so you might want to think about moving." He didn't want to constantly have to keep watch on her, as it would interfere with his training and march toward re-gaining his gourd, but he couldn't exactly just leave her to her own devices.

WC Doton Training: 345 + 312 = 666 / 4,000

"Unfortunately. They're kinda stupid that way... but they make good training dummies. Just try not to let too many of them catch you alone..."

Well, great. She would have more attacks to look forward to. Unless of course she ended up killing them, but that sounded a bit too messy. It was one thing to beat someone's ass or scare them into pissing themselves and running away, it was entirely something else to end up killing someone. Something told her deep down that the village's kage wouldn't appreciate finding out that some of her shinobi were murdering people – even if they were the scum of the earth. So, she would just have to be prepared to handle them if they came for round two. ”Hm.. I'll have to get a few tricks up my sleeve then. Can't keep using the same things over and over again or they'll come to expect it.” Yeah, that seemed like the smartest method: even if it would mean more work for her in the long time. Still, the stronger she got the better off she would be.

"I think there's a vacancy in the building I live in, or the one across from it. These morons don't often come around where I live. I don't think they even know, honestly. After this, they're gonna be looking for any opportunity to catch you by yourself, so you might want to think about moving."

It wasn't a bad idea, that was for sure. She had been needing to get out of her crummy neighborhood for a while now, and if she started doing more missions it would be nothing at all to afford a better apartment. Plus, she couldn't rely on Kinzoku all of the time to have her back: he had his own missions and goals to accomplish, just as she did. So, her best bet was to definitely play it smart and play it wise: moving somewhere else was definitely the better choice. ”I think that's what I'll do... last thing I want is to end up against all of them by myself: and I have a feeling that if they come again it'll be in a group like today. Genjutsu and Ninjutsu can only go so far... At least right now.” There was always the option to run away of course, and if it came down to being hurt or worse she certainly would do exactly that, but she knew she would never live it down. They'd only see it as her showing weakness, and that wouldn't make them leave her alone.

”Definitely going to have to see if I can come up with more training scrolls; learn some new things... expand on what I can do...” It also was time for her to start caring about her rank: she had been slacking recently, and she needed to get some things situated and then start growing as strong as possible. ”Wonder if the the Rakuenkage would allow me to do some traveling...”, she wondered out loud.

Word Count Inton C – B: 510 + 1,086 = 1,596 / 1,500
Remaining: 96