A Clumsy Mistake (Open)

Warm rays fell upon her ashen hair as the petitie kunoichi made her way down the vast streets of Konohagakure, wandering aimlessly through the bustling crowd as her violet orbs dashed between the vendors on either side of her. Aria was given some free time from her parents’ training and shop to go explore the city in which she had spent all her life, although if she was being honest it was still quite hard for the airhead to recall exactly where everything was.

Anyone who saw her looking around with a slight hint of curiosity gleaming in her eyes would think she was a regular civilian by the way she was dressed, that is until their eyes landed upon the shinobi headband tied around her waist. She wore it like a belt around her light blue dress, having thought that position was the most comfortable rather than placing it around her head like was customary to do.

“This is the vendors street...but then over there across the way looks to also be a vendors street...and then on the opposite side looks like an abandoned area with the lack of people traveling down that path. Where does that lead to again?” Came a soft mumble from the young woman with her left arm crossed over her chest and her right arm perpendicular to her left with her index finger touching her cheek lightly. “What’s the worst that could happen if I go check it out? Probably nothing!”

With new enthusiasm in her step she bounded onwards across the way to the vacant area, a soft smile gracing her lips as she practically skipped through the throngs of people. It didn’t take long for her to reach her destination, her eyes darting up and down the darkened path. This street was full of shadows and eeriness, far in contrast to the market street she came from, and there seemed to be people lounging around against the walls and floors. Many of their eyes perked up at the sight of a newcomer, especially one that seemed as vulnerable and clueless as Aria. However, she was too absentminded to notice the grins dancing across their visages as she was a few steps away from breaching the shadows of the nearby buildings, which would hide her from visibility of those on the market street that could help this “damsel in distress”.

Once Aria took those final steps into the unknown, two of the men that were hiding deeper in came forward, wanting to give a warm welcome to the dual hair colored woman. Aww how nice of them!, thought Aria as they had what appeared to be to be smiles on their faces.

"You lost little lady?” The taller of the two men asked as they towered over her, glasses covering his eyes and tattoos running down his bare arms. “Or are you looking to have a little fun?”

"Well I’m definitely not lost, but what do you mean have some fun? I don’t really see anything fun here…” She huffed slightly at the end of her sentence and puffed her lower lip out as she pouted at the obvious lie he had given her. How dare he treat her like an idiot when she could see that they had no toys, games, or even food around!

The second man, closer to her height with shaggy dark hair and a fishnet top, seemed to dislike the answer she gave for some reason and grabbed her right wrist tightly, ignoring her yelp of pain as he tried to drag her further into what was now becoming clear to Aria as the place known by the name of the red-light district. She remembered her mother mentioning it once during one of her lessons, and if she recalled correctly her mother said the criminals that hung out around there were afraid of shinobi due to their inhuman abilities and skills; however, they seemed to think she was an easy target even as a ninja.

"Let go right now you big meanies! Otherwise you'll regret it!" She wanted to give them a peaceful way out from the big mistake they were making, and so that way she could say she warned them what would happen if they didn't stop. Aria didn't want to have to deal with any negative repercussions that came with beating up civilians, even if they were probably criminals.

Kei didn't tend to draw much attention to himself. A lifetime of trying to stay out of sight imprinted a deep set of habits that he practiced almost unconsciously; the way he walked, the posture that he held, and even just the general air about him, all tailored to make him seem like nothing more than another body in the faceless crowd. When he was younger that meant staying out of trouble, especially when he was out picking pockets. Now as a shinobi though, the skill came with an entirely new set of advantages. There were plenty of places in the city where people were weary of ninja, and he could mingle without getting so much as a second glance most of the time. And so whenever the boy pulled patrol duty he made a point to make a pass through some of the seedier areas of the town at the very end of his shift.

As he made his way through the darkened alleys, Kei's pale green eyes peered out from beneath his mop of messy white hair. How many times had he passed this way while on the job? Even after a handful of busts no one really really seemed to pay him any mind. It certainly helped that his headband and equipment wasn't exactly on display, largely hidden beneath the poncho that covered his upper body. But it was the little things that made people ignore you; slightly ragged clothes, not making eye contact with anyone, not standing up too straight, not moving too quickly or too slowly, acting like you belonged. Given the results though, it was hard to say that the elaborate juggling act wasn't worth the effort.

The patrol was proving to be largely routine so far. Sure, there were a few minor less than legal dealings; gambling in a back alley, a not so subtle drug exchange, a kid stealing an apple from a passing food cart, but certainly nothing that could be called threatening the peace. Having been in that sort of position before, Kei understood that these people were just trying to get by, and so he tended to let a lot of the minor infractions in these neighborhoods slide. That being said, there was a definitive limit to what he'd let people get away with on his watch.

Kei's ears perked up as the sounds of a distant commotion reached them. Glancing up he saw a number of people gathered near the end of an alleyway. Of particular note were a pair of men who seemed to be trying to drag a young woman further into the alley despite some obvious protests. And meanwhile everyone else gathered around just watched. Kei's eyes narrowed at the familiar scene and his jaw clenched. Nothing irritated him more than passive bystanders when something bad was clearly happening. Well, he wouldn't just stand by and watch. Quickly taking in his surroundings, the boy picked out a path onto the rooftops and reached to unhook the bow from his back. He darted forward, vaulting off a stack of crates before clambering up the side of a building and moving to close the distance to the gathering of people.

Taking up a perch just above the scene, Kei nocked an arrow and his eyes locked firmly onto the taller of the two men. "Let. Her. Go." He called down, announcing his presence with cold tone to his voice. A pointed warning, punctuated with the sound of a bowstring being drawn.

It was becoming apparent to the young woman that her absentminded trip was quickly turning into a disaster, one that could prove to be an everlasting reminder to avoid the red light district in the future at all costs. That is as long as she made it safely out of this current skirmish.

Her violet eyes flickered around as the commotion they stirred brought some unexpected guests, although they seemed more interested in watching the events unfold rather than join in themselves. This came as a bit of a relief to Aria as now she wouldn’t have to knock out nearly as many people, which would’ve been a real pain in the butt to clean up. Plus she didn’t want to get reprimanded by her parents for accidentally disobeying them, then they’d never let her explore on her own ever again. How humiliating it would be having to be escorted by her parents everywhere within the village as an eighteen year old shinobi.

Sadly neither of the offenders were taking heed to her warning, choosing to laugh at the “little girl acting tough” rather than try to use their brains and connect the dots that she was wearing a ninja headband so therefore she probably could back up her claims. Yet alas they decided to underestimate the ashen haired kunoichi, a fatal mistake had she been anyone other than a kind, gracious lady since few shinobi would have been as patient as she in this situation.

The veins around her eyes began to bulge as she activated one of her two clan bloodlines, known to some as the Byakugan. Many couldn’t tell just by looking at Aria that she had Hyuuga blood coursing through her veins due to the lack of certain characteristics that they are famous for having, such as very pale colored eyes that do not have pupils and contrastingly dark hair. Of course to some low level criminals they probably have never encountered a Hyuuga before, and as such the two in front of her were taken aback by the sight of her bulging veins which look rather out of place with her purple eyes and white-blue hair. In their brief lapse due to the shock, the one gripping her wrist loosened it as he subconsciously took a step back, freeing Aria from his clutches.

However, before she could activate her clan’s signature Eight Trigrams taijutsu techniques, rapid movement was caught in her line of vision from her Byakugan. A single man separated himself from the crowd and was moving closer in the time it took for the lowlifes to be taken aback by her veins. Then by the time they regained composure and were about to lunge for her again, the snowy haired man broke the silence with a commanding order in a menacing tone followed by the echo of an arrow being pulled back by the strings of his bow. The shorter of the men turned to look at the newcomer, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the arrow pointing directly at them from above, while the taller of the two kept his eyes on Aria, who was inching backward to give the man more room so he could easily shoot them if need be without worrying about accidentally hitting her in the process.

“Where do you think you’re going? We aren’t done with you yet!” It seemed the taller man wasn’t as intelligent as he initially came off as, for his evaluation of the current situation was clearly not on the mark.

The shorter man nudged his friend, a worried look crossing his face as he glanced between the archer and the leader. “M-maybe we should do as he says, bro...We can always find another lad-”

“I’m not going to let that happen you jerks! Kidnapping people is wrong, and it’s part of my duty as a shinobi to punish wrongdoers! Now you can either come with my companion and I willingly, or we can knock you out and drag your sorry butts to jail. Which is it?” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to sound as intimidating as possible, acting as if this was all going according to plan in order to try and fool the criminals into complying with them.

Despite the predicament she was previously in, having someone come to her aid and in a position with the upperhand helped put her at ease, even if she wasn’t sure whether he was a fellow shinobi or her it didn’t matter. He had helped her, a person in seemingly need, and that spoke far more about his character than a simple label could.

The street below went quiet as Kei called out. Nearly every pair of eyes in the alley rose to meet him and immediately a notable tension built up in the air. Even as his gaze stayed firmly on his target, in his periphery he could see a number of the onlookers start to slowly back away. As soon as an opportunity presented itself to sneak off unnoticed, they'd be gone. Those would be the smart ones and those that wanted to avoid any run ins with the village guard. Whether they correctly assumed that he was a village shinobi or just took him as random vigilante, those with enough sense would recognize trouble when they saw it and distance themselves as much as possible. That's what he would have done in their position back when he was on the streets. Unfortunately the two trouble makers didn't seem to be so inclined to listen to their own common sense.

The girl had managed to slip out of the man's grasp in the time it took Kei to get in position, which certainly made his job a lot easier. God forbid these idiots got it in their head to try taking a hostage when put under pressure. Still, despite having a clearly disadvantaged position, the pair didn't take the easy out and just back off. If they had, then there was a chance that they could have gotten away with little more of a rebuke. But no, the taller man tried to double down and his companion ran his mouth about trying to find another target. Even if the girl hadn't started to tell them off at that point, Kei would have stepped in himself and dealt with them anyway. Even if you were trying to keep yourself and your family alive, there were lines you didn't cross.

What the girl had to say drew the genin's attention though, and Kei chanced a brief glance in her direction to verify her claims about being a shinobi. Sure enough, he could spy the village's sigil on a headband that as tied around her waist. That revelation gave rise to a number of new questions; how dumb did these guys have to be to target a village shinobi? Did they even realize what they were getting into? Why did the girl let things get so far before fighting back? He'd likely only get an answer to just one of these questions after everything was said and done, but for the time being it appeared there was more work to be done than just breaking up some unwanted advances.

Looking his fellow shinobi in the eye, Kei gave her a slight nod to show that he was going along with her plan and then returned his gaze to the pair of would-be kidnappers. "Clear out!" He shouted to the rest of the people gathered nearby, causing a few to practically jump in surprise as the majority scattered deeper into the network of alleyways. That would save them a lot of hassle if the men decided to make even more bad decisions that day, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Looking down the shaft of one of his arrows he gave them one more warning to help drive the point home further. "You're caught, come quietly." Whether or not they decided to play nice, one thing was certain; With how much attention they'd be drawing, the boy doubted he'd ever be able to come around this area without a disguise again.

It was reliving to know the stranger would follow along with her act as he gave her a nod to indicate he would do so, then he yelled in a stern voice to the now populated area full of bystanders. It was clear he meant business and wouldn’t be afraid to shoot the arrow at someone disobeying his orders, which seemed to be what everyone else thought as well since they scurried away like mice, disappearing as fast as they had appeared. Within minutes the alleyway returned to its former self, desolate and forgotten without a trace of life. Just shadows upon shadows with the occasion bird flying far overhead, as if they too didn’t want to drop too close to these spooky streets.

With an exasperated sigh the taller man raised his hands slowly and said, “Fine fine, clearly we are no match for you ninja.” The words he spoke had a neutral tone to them, as if he was rather indifferent about having been caught and their plans foiled.

The shorter man saw what his partner had done and followed suit, also raising his hands and let out a sigh, this one out of relief.

At them waving their white flags in surrender Aria’s eyes widened slightly, not having expected them to give up without a fight after the one seemed so fired up for one. Perhaps the sight of their potential backup fleeing extinguished the fire they had, or maybe they finally wisened up to the fact they were now the ones backed into a corner.

Now the ashen haired woman was completely lost on what to do, having never captured a criminal before in her life. Did they bind their wrists with rope? But who even carries rope around in the first place? She cleared her throat, thinking about how sometimes her mom would do that right before giving her a lecture and how it always made her seem more terrifying than before, “Ahem...Now keep your hands up while my partner comes down. No funny business or monkeying around!” Then she gave them her best glare she could muster up with her very limited experience doing them, which made the glare turn out to look too forced. Her hands were on her hips to both add to the tough guy look and have easy access to fly up in the event that she needed to use her Gentle Fist techniques against either of them.

She would wait for her partner against crime to make his move or tell her he wanted to stay high before she would order the criminals to turn around and put their hands behind their backs. Then they could be on their merry way to visit the dreary jail.

Kei's eyes narrowed as he watched the pair of men below. The taller of the two, the one who seemed to be calling the shots, looked like he was actually complying  with the shinobi's commands, slowly raising his hands in a show of surrender. On the surface it seemed that the little incident was wrapping up, they just had to bring the pair to the nearest guard post and drop them off. And yet... something about the way the guy was acting was definitely off. Even if he was being threatened, the change of behavior and the tone of voice had been far too quick. A thug didn't just go from trying to start a fight to quietly giving up, it just didn't happen.  All of that was to say that Kei didn't trust these guys for a second.

When the kunoichi called for him to come down from his perch, the former thief let the tension come out of his bow but he didn't move immediately. The streets were empty again but that didn't necessarily mean that there was no danger about, and the boy was admittedly hesitant about giving up the high ground with the current situation. Then again, keeping at such a distance would leave the girl more vulnerable if the kidnappers did try something, he'd be able to help faster if he was down on the ground.... Both options honestly had their advantages, so he'd just have to do both then, wouldn't he?

Letting out a deep breath, Kei started channeling his chakra, molding it's shape without seals since his hands were occupied by his weapon. After a moment two pillars of water burst into existence to his sides, rising up until they were at his height and then gradually twisting into a humanoid shape. As the two bodies took form, the details and color quickly filled in, leaving two identical copies of Kei flanking his sides when everything was said and done. He gave the one on the left a nod, and then turned to the right, gesturing with his head toward the opposite side of the street. Both gave him a wordless nod of understanding, with the first clone maintaining its position and the second leaping across the alleyway to the opposite rooftop. Both kept their bows at the ready and  stared down at the pair of thugs, while Kei himself hopped down to ground level.

Walking up behind the pair he hooked his own bow to the strap on his back and hid his hands from view in the folds of his cloak. One went to the hilt of the tanto that was sheathed across the back of his waist, but he didn't draw the weapon. He wouldn't unless their new friends decided to push their luck, and hopefully the extra pair of archers watching over them would help dissuade that sort of foolishness. Once he was in position, Kei gave his fellow a shinobi another nod to signify that he was ready to move. It was only a few blocks to the nearest guard post, but he fully planned to keep his head on a swivel for the entirety of the trip. Even for such a short distance there was a lot that could happen between point A and B.

---

Chakra Use: 45/50

Unique Abilities:

Jutsu:

It took a moment for the archer to decide whether he wanted to stay on the high ground or join her on the floor, although either option was fine for her since her Byakugan prevented them from being ambushed although the likelihood of him realizing her pupil-less purple eyes was a mystery to her, some people could tell right away while others didn’t even think about it being in the realm of possibility.

When he reached a sort of decision, without any movement from his body besides letting out a deep breath, two water pillars formed beside his figure which eventually formed into exact replicates of himself. Even though Aria had never seen that jutsu before, since she knew of the clone technique it was easy to deduce that it was similar to that, just with water. It had never occurred to the Hyuga-Uzumaki to use her clone technique to feint the men with more numbers, but perhaps they wouldn't have been as afraid of her clones as they were starting to become of the archer’s. Although that could’ve been from the fact he could still easily shoot them in the chest with his arrows, Aria wasn’t quite sure. But she could tell the taller one was now feeling the pressure as sweat droplets began to soak his neck, and the shorter one was on the verge of tears, which made Aria question why he was even a criminal to begin with if he couldn’t handle the heat.

If she wasn’t trying to personify someone who knew what they were doing, she would’ve made a comment to the stranger about how cool and impressive his clone technique was. Aria made a mental note to save the compliment for later, after they had turned the thugs in to the guard post. Having the clones point their arrows at the criminals and her new partner next to her helped make her relax a little, her shoulders releasing some of the tension in themselves that she didn’t even know she had until now.

Once the silver and teal haired woman received the nod from the snowy haired man, she let her hands dangle to her side and commandingly said, “Start walking forward at a steady place, if you try to run away you will be shot immediately. So I suggest you don’t even think it.” The shorter man aggressively nodded his head in understanding of the potential consequences while the taller one let out a “hmph”, then they both started walking as instructed, their hands still raised in the air. Aria followed suit, her head unmoving as if she didn’t care to scope out the area, but in actuality her special eyes already gave her full vision from all 360 degrees around her as well as 500 meters in all directions. From their current position she could see the guard post and the guards standing watch, but she also saw one small group of people about halfway between the guard post and them. The chances of it being a coincidence seemed highly unlikely since even she figured word of the shinobi breaking up a crime would’ve already spread and no one would’ve been out on the streets until the coast was clear.

“It seems up ahead we’ll have three unwelcome guests joining us on this escort, it’s becoming a party huh?” She chuckled softly at her own comment, seemingly unfazed by the amount of people that were trying to ambush them. There were two on her side and one on her partners, hiding in the alleyways about a block away with knives as their choice of weapons, apparently thinking their numbers would deter the shinobi and convince them to let their friends go. “One on your side and two on mine. They’re so adorable bringing little knives with them thinking that’ll be scary. I wonder if they’ll give up once they see that we have their friends at arrowpoint?”

---

(Forgot to pay for her Byakugan the last two posts, doing that now)
Byakugan Posts: 3/15
Stamina Usage: 133.8/135

Kei suppressed a smirk at their captives' responses to the extra pair of arrows trained on them. If he had to guess the pair had likely been planning to stir up some trouble and try to get away, and the added muscle was giving them second thoughts about going through with it. Good. Anything to make this little impromptu escort mission as uneventful as possible. Part of him knew that he probably could have gotten the same effect with the more basic illusion-based clones, but the extra safety net that these more solid versions provided was worth a bit more energy. His new companion seemed to appreciate it as well. The girl's over the top grand-standing was pretty obviously forced, that probably helped explain why the thugs had targeted her despite the clear warning signs, but now that the situation was more under control her act seemed to have a bit more confidence behind it.

As they started forward , Kei's clones moved in lock step across the rooftops, only breaking their synchronization when they had cross between rooftops. They would pause and stagger their jumps, making sure that at least one bow was trained on the prisoners at all times. There was no sense encouraging them to try something dumb by leaving some sort of perceived opening. This pair felt like the sort to 'forget' the fact that there were still two capable shinobi standing right next to them if they weren't reminded regularly.

It wasn't long before the kunoichi gave her warning. Raising an eyebrow, Kei turned to her. He hadn't seen anything to suggest that there was anyone nearby, so how had she... Oh, that's how it was. Now that he was closer the boy could easily recognize the tell tale characteristics of the girl's bloodline. Pale colored eyes without pupils, surrounded by pronounced bulging veins. This girl would be able to see everything in the damn city without needing to even spare a glance. Had the kidnappers known that they were going after a Hyuuga? Either they were remarkably ignorant or just plain stupid. In any case, the details of their escape plan just became a whole lot more clear. The taller one must have been a lot more confident with his surrender if he knew he had friends nearby that could set up an ambush.

"Best not let them get any ideas." He said without slowing his pace at all, green irises scanning the path ahead where the girl had indicated. "Take them on three." He added as they drew closer, speaking quietly so that their prisoners wouldn't hear.  Glancing up to each of his clones, they each nodded in turn and he offered the pair of men a final warning, hissed under his breath. "Keep Quiet. Don't move." So far they seemed to have taken his threats seriously, and hopefully they would continue to. Either way, his clones would be hanging back to keep an eye on them.

With a final nod to his companion, Kei made sure that she was ready and then counted up on his fingers. When he hit three he closed his fist down hard and then took off in a full dash. For the second time that day he repeated the maneuver of unhooking his bow as he ran, finishing the motion and nocking an arrow as he skid to a halt in front of the alleyway. His weapon was already at full draw by the time he came to a stop, looking down an arrow shaft at a man who was crouching beside a pile of discarded boxes, knife in hand. He was a larger man, probably half a foot taller than Kei with a wide build, bald head, and a number of scars visible beneath a ragged vest. The size of his arms actually made the knife he held look a bit comical, far too small for someone of his size.  "Drop it!" Kei shouted at him. This would be the muscle of the group, if they could get him to surrender quietly the others would likely give up a lot easier. Unfortunately the sudden appearance of an armed enemy seemed to have the opposite of the intended effect.

Rather than freezing when surprised as many people would, the man seemed to instinctively lash out, bellowing as he rushed the shinobi. Oh well, that's why he came in prepared. A gleam seemed to pass through Kei's visible eye and his pupils constricted to a pin-point. A wave of chakra flooded through his body and in an instant every tiny shake or tremor in his muscles vanished. He didn't waste any time aiming, taking just one fluid motion to adjust his bow and let his arrow fly. The man only made it one step before the projectile found its intended mark, piercing through the hand that held the knife in spite of the his flailing limbs. He cried out in pain, clutching the newly bloodied hand as the weapon fell to the pavement, but it seemed that that wasn't enough to take him down immediately.

Leveling a glare in Kei's direction, the brute continued his charge forward, swiping wildly with his uninjured hand as soon as he was within range. Kei darted backward to avoid the blow and then quickly side-stepped a follow up swing before cracking the man on the side of the head with his bow. This only proved to make him more angry however and he let out another yell as he threw a wide hook. This time the boy went low, dropping into a slide between the thug's legs and snatching his discarded knife from the ground as he went. Kei flipped back onto his feet as soon as he was clear of the brute and then proceeded to immediately return the weapon to it's owner, by way of hurling the blade right into the man's shoulder. There was another grunt of pain and the thug's already-injured arm went limp as he spun about to face his foe. By the time he turned around however, Kei had already drawn the tanto from his back, and the man seemed far less enthusiastic about approaching an armed opponent this time. Seeing a potential break in the combat, the white haired boy figured he might as well offer the guy a way out that didn't involve losing a limb. "We done yet? You're not winning this one."

---

Chakra Use: 40/50

Unique Ability:

Without turning her head the kunoichi watched as realization began to dawn on the man beside her who had been staring with curiosity etched across his face. It wasn’t everyday that you encountered someone who could so easily search the area without moving a muscle to activate some kind of technique. Aria thought his reaction to her warning was humorous, drawing a smile across her lips. Then he spoke up as his green eyes darted to the location of his target, wanting to make sure the criminals didn’t find any openings to embolden themselves and try to run away. After all, it would clearly result in unnecessary bloodshed even if they could travel a few feet away, and what poor unfortunate souls they would be, potentially losing a limb for being exponentially stupid.

Her head bobbed up and down as she agreed with his plan to strike one on the countdown, or countup in this case, and raised her hands to be at the height of her chest with her palms facing forward. Having seen the attackers from so far away gave the young woman plenty of time to come up with her strategy, and she hoped her first jutsu would be enough to deter them from continuing the fight. She’d rather not have to carry large, unconscious people the rest of the way to the guard post, and quite frankly, she wasn’t sure she could even do that if it came down to it due to her lack of strength.

The two thugs in front of them stiffened at the hissed words from the archer, their eyes darting between each other and their hands trembling slightly. Either they were scared of the tone her partner used or because they knew their surprise attack was no longer a surprise. It didn’t matter to the white and blue haired woman which option it was, so long as they decided to heed the commands given to them and didn’t try anything dumb, she was content.

The kunoichi eagerly waited for his finger to hit three, slightly wanting to show off in front of the other shinobi or at least not make a fool of herself. Plus she needed her redemption arc from the first impression he had of her being weak. Thus she dashed off at the same time as the snowy haired man, her eyes focused on her two target’s chakra circulatory systems. The men in question were standing side by side in the alleyway, laid out perfectly for her Gentle Fist technique, and if she were a big crueler she would’ve verbally thanked them for setting her up with a great shot of their tenketsu points.

As she turned the corner and locked eyes with the two men, knives raised as if they were about to swing them down on an unsuspecting person, she barely gave them time to breath as she thrusted her palms forward at full force. By adding her own chakra into the thrust she transformed it from simply looking like limbs moving to a burst of air in the shape of a 4 diameter cone shooting out towards the two men, knocking them back a few feet and closing a few of their tenketsu points while doing so. This technique was the Vacuum Palm, and she had intended to use it against them when they first grabbed her wrist due to the flexibility of the technique requiring either one or two hands. This varied from other Gentle Fist techniques that required her to use point hands in order to hit a maximum number of tenketsu points with each strike.

The two men let out cries out shock and anger as they flew backwards, their knives dropping when their hands instinctively flinched at the sudden air burst, the metal clattering against the ground.

“Aww that’s too bad, now you’ll have to fight me fist to fist. I almost feel bad for you...Ah! There is one way out. If you want to spare yourselves the effort you could give up now and come willingly.” There was a greed eating grin across her face as she sneered at them, her arms crossed over her chest as she walked towards them. “Or did you have so much fun just now that you want to do that again? Ooooh or do you want another technique to spice things up? I have plenty to choose from~” A soft chuckle escaped her lips and she let her hands fall back to her sides, dangling freely as she patiently awaited their response. Having been her first encounter with actual bad guys, she felt she was doing a good enough job at being intimidating and just as scary as her companion.

One of the two began to tremble slightly, his shoulders bouncing back and forth effortlessly and with each step she made forward, he inched further back. “W-what are you? How can you look that cute but sound so evil...”

“How dare you fall into her trap! She should be terrified of us, not the other way around you dumbass!” The more brazen of the two regained his composure and steadied himself, fists raised in a boxer stance in front of his face. “I ain’t scared of no little girl just ‘cause she can use a little wind.”

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Byakugan Posts: 4/15
Stamina Usage: 128.4/135

Vacuum Palm:

The bulky thug actually seemed to consider Kei's offer, a visible expression of thought passing over his face, if only for a fleeting moment. But thoughtful concern once again turned to irritation and then transitioned into straight anger as he locked eyes with the snow-haired youth. "Yeah right, like hell I'm gonna give in to some punk kid." Clenching his jaw, the man reached over his shoulder with his good arm. Kei could see him flinch slightly as he wrapped his fingers around the handle of the knife that was impaled there, taking in a sharp breath in preparation before yanking the thing out. Flecks of red splattered across the pavement as the man shouted out through clenched teeth, practically foaming at the mouth as he allowed the pain to further fuel his rage.

For his part the genin watched with an emotionless stare, content to let the man further injure himself over some foolish idea of pride. "Your funeral." He said with a shrug as the thug once again went on the offensive. Apparently he must have thought having the knife in hand somehow improved his odds this time. Charging forward with all the grace of a wild bull, the opening thrust was impressively telegraphed. Kei parried the blade with relative ease, practically gliding out of the way as he pushed the weapon aside and allowed the larger man's momentum to carry him past. His chakra-enhanced focus was still allowing him to control his body with the utmost precision, and as the man stumbled past he shifted his tanto up to glide the edge over the man's flank.

A thin red line appeared on the brute's side as he spun about, his disabled arm flailing slightly with the rapid movement. The cut was a shallow one; Kei wasn't actually trying to kill the man after all, but the extra damage certainly wasn't doing the man's temperament any favors. As the light sting reached his senses he practically roared in anger and one launched into an attack with redoubled effort. The result was a wild flurry of barely aimed slashes, presumably with the hope that even one hit landing would tip the scales of the fight in his favor. And sure, Kei wasn't the most sturdy person in the world, his frame was pretty willowy all things considered, but that line of reasoning depended on being able to actually hit the boy. As the assault came, the shinobi barely even held to his fighting stance, maintaining a steady distance from his foe as his body weaved in and out to avoid the strikes. He only moved as much as he needed to, trusting his eyes and his body to gauge the angle of each attack and stay just a hair's breadth out of the steel's reach.

Obviously growing more frustrated with each near miss, the thug's attacks only became sloppier and easier to read. As the man broke from his pattern to give a big overhead swing, Kei took up a step in and raised his bow. Robbed of a bit of it's power by the proximity, the brute's knife met the wood and got caught long enough for Kei to spin about and deliver a solid heel kick to his gut. The man reeled back with the loss of his balance and Kei proceeded to toss his tanto up into the air to free up his hand as he dropped into a wide stance. With one clean continuous movement he reached for his quiver, nocked a pair of arrows, drew back the string, and let the bolts fly. The thug had barely managed to steady his feet when a fresh pain lanced through his remaining arm, making his eyes go wide. The first arrow pierced into his bicep, and the second through his forearm, leaving him looking like a bloodied pincushion. The sound that left his lips wasn't a raging cry like before, but a strained croak as his muscles failed and the knife fell from his grasp with a clatter. In an instant all of the storm and fury had vanished, and after standing with both arms hanging limp at his sides for a moment, the man slumped to his knees. Utterly defeated.

Seeing his victory, Kei let out a sigh as he rose back to his full height, free hand snapping out to snatch his tanto from the air as it fell back down. His foe looked at him with a mixture of pain and disbelief that he'd been dispatched so easily, but the boy just gave him another shrug as he slipped the blade back into it's sheath. "Hey, I warned you." It was always such a shame when these people didn't listen to reason, but Kei couldn't offer them much pity at the end of the day. They all made their own choices after all.

With his enemy dispatched, the young shinobi brought his bow about to aim into the opposite alleyway. Knowing what he did about her bloodline now, he doubted that his companion would need much help with this rabble. Still, he wasted no time getting a new arrow ready just in case the kunoichi hadn't finished up yet.

“Guess we are doing this the hard way...I really did try to warn you, mister, so don’t blame me for what’s about to happen!” Her shoulders rose and fell as she gave him a soft shrug, realizing the man had chosen his fate and she couldn’t feel bad for him getting knocked out when she gave him ample chances to stop. Oh well, sometimes you can’t fix stubbornness with kindness.

The man, his fists still raised and ready for rapid jabs, dashed forward with his back bent a little, eyes locked on to her violet orbs. Aria extended her right arm all the way out and her left hand was parallel to her chest, and both of her palms were facing forward. This was the typical pose of a Hyuuga in their field of divination, a potentially lethal thing for someone to step foot into if the user has higher ranking techniques. Luckily for him the white and blue haired woman only knew average techniques, although even if she knew of deadly methods now was most definitely not the time to use one.

Once his foot crossed through the threshold of her eight trigrams circle, she dashed forward to meet him in the middle of the alleyway. He threw a right hook that she ducked under then hit him with her left hand immediately followed by her right, sending her chakra through his chest with each strike to close two of his tenketsu points. The air was forced out of him at the first two strikes, causing him to instinctively make a noise similar to choking, although he wasn’t actually. Aria followed up the first two strikes with two more, closing off another two chakra points, and she continued with her rapid fire; four consecutive hits, then upping it to eight strikes, and, finally, sixteen strikes. Thus making it thirty-two strikes and thirty-two chakra points closed off, causing the man to fall limp on the ground as his body was worn to exhaustion at all of his tenketsu being blocked.

Seeing his companion drop to the floor within seconds of encountering the palms of the woman in front of him, the second guy began shaking violently and put his hands up, not wanting to suffer the same fate. “Smart move my friend, now slowly come closer and pick up your friend. You’ll have to carry him the rest of the way, which lucky for you isn’t too far from here!” Her voice was quiet, somber almost, as she bent down and retrieved the fallen knives, twirling them in her hands as she watched him heed her words. With an exasperated grunt he picked up the dead weight and walked out of the alleyway with Aria in tow, although he froze for a moment at the sight of an arrow being trained on him. It was evident he thought they were in the clear from any more danger.

“We’re good over here!” Her chirpy voice called out to her teammate as she gave a light tap to the back of the man in front of her, trying to reassure him that he wouldn’t be shot so long as he cooperated.

Once he shuffled his way out of the alleyway she followed suit, bringing them all, from her side of the alleyway that is, to be in the road where the shinobi had left the two original thugs. The shorter of the two from the beginning helped the scared one carry the unconscious figure, while the tougher one was taken aback at the sight of one of his comrades being knocked out, especially considering it was due to the ‘little girl’.

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Byakugan Posts: 5/15
Stamina Usage: 123/135

Thirty-Two Palms:

Even before the kunoichi called out, Kei could see that she had things well under control on her end. One man lying in a pile on the ground and the other with his hands up in surrender. At least one among the group apparently had some sense in them. Lowering his weapon and returning the arrow to his quiver, the boy gave his companion a nod as she led the newest additions to their entourage back to their friends. Which left him to deal with his own charge. He let out a deep breath, returning his eyes to their normal state as the chakra infused in his muscles dissipated, and then turned to the kneeling hulk of a man. "C'mon, we're taking a walk." He said as he gestured back down the street with a jerk of his head.

The man grumbled under his breath as he struggled to stand. It took a few attempts with his arms acting as little more than dead weight, but eventually he managed to find his feet. Kei watched after him with a level glare as he moved, waiting until he'd staggered part way down the street before collecting his knife off the ground and following after. As he and his own prisoner rejoined the group, all of the brute's friends eyes were drawn to him, uneasy expressions passing over their faces as they saw his injuries. Three arrows still impaled in his arms and an open wound on his shoulder, all of which streamed red down his limbs and left a spattering of a trail in his wake.

"Hey, give him a hand. We'll get him patched up at the guard post." Kei ordered the only unoccupied member of the group. The tall man, who he assumed to be the leader at this point, almost jumped at being addressed directly, his confident exterior cracking visible under all the pressure of the situation. He swallowed visibly but didn't say anything, moving into position to help steady the larger man. If nothing else, Kei figured the lot of them would have more of an appreciation for the bows that were still trained on them from above. With the clear examples that he and the kunoichi had provided for them, he doubted that they'd be acting up any time soon.

The prisoners sorted, Kei fell back into position beside his impromptu partner as he once again scanned over his surroundings. "Shall we?" It was unlikely that there'd be any more trouble after that little engagement, but no one had ever accused the genin of being too relaxed before.

Shortly after her side of the alleyway merged with the main group did the second duo walk out and join their ragtag team. The thug who had attacked the archer was incredibly battered with blood dripping down his wounds, obviously from underestimating his opponent and overestimating his own capabilities. You’d think that living on the streets would allow you to better gauge the abilities of those you are fighting against, but the white and blue haired woman wasn’t sure since she had never grown up duking it out with others to survive.

Thankfully his lack of awareness for the situation gave the other offenders of the group a clear warning that the shinobi meant business, and if they acted out the archers above were not bluffs, they would be shot, potentially twice even. Perhaps that clear sign of power was what moved the leader man to flinch at being singled out before silently obeying the orders of her fellow shinobi. His tough guy exterior was no more as he held up the beaten man, giving his companion support to make it the rest of the journey.

Her head bobbed up and down as she was in agreeance with the archer’s inquiry. “Let us be on our merry way~” Her tone was very singsongy as they continued on their way to the guardpost, a light smile gracing her lips. She had gotten to prove to her companion that she wasn’t a weak shinobi, and Aria was happy she was able to pull her weight in this excursion that she accidentally caused to unfold in the first place.

The rest of the trip down the beaten path was uneventful, anyone who had been watching them from the shadows had scurried to hide after their display, not wanting to feel the wrath of the law. Once they arrived within eyesight of the guards on duty, three of them rushed to greet the rather large caravan they had going on, their eyes were wide and mouths agape as they inspected the sheer amount and injuries of the thugs.

“Hello fellow guards! I am Aria Uzumaki and with the aid of my companion we have apprehended these thugs! Their crimes are attempted kidnapping and resisting arrest.” Her eyes glanced over at the taller shinobi, her pause giving him time to add anything else he wanted to say.

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Byakugan Posts: 6/15
Stamina Usage: 122.6/135