Gift of Inari + Training

The tension in the air began to build as a breeze swept through the clearing. Now both of them were serious, the fox spirit angry for his ruse being seen through-- and Asura determined to beat the fox at his own game. The breeze began to sweep the leaves through the air, passing between them.

It was then that Asura made the first move and inhaled sharply. "Fire style-- Fireball Jutsu!!" He roared and released a blast of fire from his mouth, flying for the fox.

The fire burned up the leaves and eclipsed the view of the fox. While the fireball burned and shot past the branch-- it revealed no sign of the fox.

Asura quickly looked around, trying to find where the furry fiend went. "Missed me, hot head... now what will happen now," the fox echoed in the wind with a mild chuckle. "At least you are entertaining."

Asura grimaced as he looked around the swirling leaves. Was this wind style or some obscure ninjutsu art? "Keep talking, fuzz face. I'll make a throw rug out of you when I'm done."

"OH, how long did it take you to think up that one. Buuuurrn..." he whispered-- sounding right behind him.

Asura branished his tiger claws and swiped -- but there was no one there. He caught movement in the distance-- and quickly followed it.

Training results: all Dex: 1.10 bonus from quick learner

The member 'Enjin' has done the following action : Destiny Roll

---

'Dice 10' : 1, 9, 1, 7, 6, 4, 8

Asura charged through the forest after the movements of the fox. He kept playing games with substitutions and vanishing. It was starting to make Asura wonder if this fox had any form of jutsu to use in offense instead of just running around messing with his head.

He soon entered another clearing, finding it darker due to the thick cover of trees around him and above him. He looked around, baffled. The only thing that stood out was the small worn down shrine at the far end of the clearing, covered in vines and leaves. "Where is he...?" Asura breathed, trying to sense the fox. Could he have left.

Suddenly, another gust came-- followed by the flow of multiple objects. Asura turned, and saw it-- the incoming swarm of leaves from the trees-- but it wasn't like how the wind carried. They were directed at him, like kunai!

"Shit--" Asura said as he made a dragon-hand sign. "Katon, Blazing Vortex Jutsu!" He let out a breath-- and fire spun out of his mouth. It quickly surrounded him and pushed outward him-- forming a tornado of fire. The small twister made contact with the leaves-- and immediately incinerated them. The embers of the leaves illuminated the space as the blazing vortex faded. Asura huffed, having been caught off guard. The fox had utalized the leaves in a ninjutsu attack of some sort.

"Keep this up and I may accidentally burn down the mountainside! Come on out!" Asura demanded, his temper rising. He was well aware his fire style was the best tool he could use, but at the same time, he couldn't risk dealing excess damage and burning down the forest.

Silence once more... He couldn't  figure out where the fox was this time. This was going to annoy him to no end of he couldn't even catch the damn guy. "Fine... if you want to stay hidden, lets even the playing field..." Asura said as he closed his eyes-- and focused.

Earth Style-- Sysmic Pulse Jutsu.

He gave a hard step onto the earth below him, and he felt a pulse of motion ripple out. In his mind's eye, he could see all things that were connected to the earth. LIke a black and white picture that moved with the pulse. It was his sensory jutsu to allow him to find hidden enemies. The pulse worked as he revealed something.

"Asura..." a voice spoke -- this time directly behind him.

Asura snapped his eyes open and turned... only to be stunned by who he saw.

(Training roll: All Int+ 10% )

The member 'Enjin' has done the following action : Destiny Roll

---

'Dice 10' : 7, 8, 8, 5, 2, 7, 6

His eyes widen with both shock and fright to see the person behind him. A man clad in crimson red robes, almost sage like. He had black hair and a lightly aged face with a beard. He looked at Asura with a stern, but recognized look. A look of a mentor to his student.

"M-Master Roku..." Asura said, feelings overwhelming him. His master, whom was the closest thing to a father he knew since his parent's death and his uncle. He now stood before him, the stern look melting into a smile. "It's you..."

"Asura... It's good to see you again," he said. He reached out a hand to to Asura and rested it on his shoulder. He felt it, almost flinching at the comforting feel. "You grown." Roku said iwth a smile.

He felt paralyzed, overwhelmed by the rush of emotion to see his master alive again... but the truth stabbed at him like a dagger. It was wrong. THIS was wrong.

Asura's eyes became angry points. "You bastard..."

WHAM!! Asura slammed a fist into the gut of the man, causing him to wheese. It was a direct hit and he did in fact hit something. Roku reeled, feeling the power of the punch. "Wh--why...?"

Asura's eyes flared- showing the Tengan. "You damn fox... That was low, even for you... to make me see HIm again." The fiery iris glowed as Roku pulled back, a bit of blood from his lips from the strong impact.

"B-but how could you..."

"My master is dead!" Asura growled, furious in his tone. "He died in my arms after he saved me. You used Genjutsu to invoke his image... means your a glutton for punishment!!" Asura roared. With that simple glance, a fiery explosion was set off, engulfing ROku in a barrage of explosions.

Asura felt a bit satisfied hitting the enemy with the flames-- but it was short lived. Soon, the flames seemed to grow, as more figures emerged. IT was more of ROku, now in growls and groans-- showing him as a char-coal zombie, still burning. "Asura..." they groaned.

THis was getting out of hand. It wasn't the fox transformed to look like ROku... but now it was some form of illusion. Asura bit his lip. "Damn it. Not genjutsu!" Asura growled, backing away from the nightmarish images of his mentor drawing close to him.

The sheer guilt to know he died to save him, made the illusion even worse. Even making him more afraid as the fiery specters came closer to him. Visions of the dead.

"Noo...." Asura gasped, trying to release the genjutsu, but---

WHAM!! A sudden blow to the face struck Asura that sent him flying. His senses were rattled as he thrown across the clearing and landed soundfully into a tree. The blow felt like a bruise to his bones-- but it wasn't as bad as he would imagine. But in the end... a punch was a punch.

The illusions of fiery roku as a zombie faded, and soon he saw the clearing as it had been. Even so, he found someone else.

"Pathetic, kid," Ravana spoke, rising up from the punch he delivered. "Didn't I teach you better than to fall prey to a cheap trick like that."

Asura blinked, confused. "M-Master Ravana!?"

It became clear. Ravana had punched him so hard, it rattled the Genjutsu in his mind. It was a brutal method, but effective to shake one loose from a genjutsu.

It was then that also the fox had appeared-- now perched on the roof of the small shrine at the end of the clearing. A frown was on the fox's face, displeased by the turn of events. "Oh, so you found us." the fox said, "And that isn't nice to punch your own student like that."

"Bah," Ravana laughed and rolled his shoulders. "If he couldn't take a punch like that, then I wouldn't of wasted my time training anyone less. "

In his own twisted way, his actions saved him. Though Ravana never admit it-- it was general concern that drove him here. Asura smirked at that.

"How did you even know where we were?" the fox asked Ravana, "Last I checked, you were bumbling around some bar."

Ravana soon pulled out a katana from behind him, showing it off. "I had to pick up a replacement sword. It's cheap but it would do," he said, "Then I saw something interesting. A fireball shooting out into the sky a few moments ago. I wonder who that could be."

Asura felt content again. His training had indeed paid off.

Ravana tossed the hilt of his sword up in his hand and gripped it-- the sword giving a small screech of crushed metal. "This sword is about as crappy as any low-rate toothpick, but it will have to do," the man said as he took a step towards the fox. "I'm gonna enjoy teaching you a lesson."

"Oh?" The fox said, a bored expression at the threat. "And what are you gonna do?"

"Why ruin the surprise. I'll tell you though, it will hurt. You took my sword... no punishment will be enough for the hell I'm going to give you," Ravana growled. By that time, Asura got back to his feet, a hand on his jaw from the brutal punch he endured. "However... the one thing I will never forgive... ever forgive..."

THe silence was tainted as the fox waited for the man to speak...

"... How dare you try to seduce me when you were a freaking dude!" he roared.

The fox's ears dropped in an anti-climatic reaction and even Asura frowned, feeling his balance faltered a bit.

"That's what you're most upset at...?" Asura sighed.

Any tension had gone right out the window by that point.

Inara smirked at the insult and soon drew out the sword in question from behind him. "Well, here it is. If you want it, come get it." he challenged.

Ravana soon charged with a cry-- his shorter katana now in hand as he charged at the fox.. It was a straightforward approach, but the fox merely closed his eyes, content and raised a finger. The wind soon picked up-- and launched another barrage of leaf arrowheads-- this time at Ravana.

However, he didn't flinch as he drew out his sword and slashed at the leaves. They were torn to ribbons before the blade, but the problem was there were more from the canopy as they would rain down on them. Ravana was alot quicker and sharper than he appeared-- as he sliced through the majority of the leaves, the few that got through merely scratched at him.

"YOu're a fool to charge me head on," The fox said.

"Maybe he is," Asura replied, now from behind the fox. The fox's eyes widened to sense Asura now behind him. "But I'm not."

A flaming fist was soon burning from the shinobi's fist as he prepared to launch a blow against him. "Exploding fist!!" he roared and delivered the blow into the fox's back. However, the fox grinned and vanished in a puff of smoke. The burning fist only hit a log and disappeared with a flash of fire.

"A substitution jutsu--" Asura growled, and soon saw as the fox was now behind him. The fox grinned. "Nice try" Wind picked up from the fox's palm-- becoming a razor sharp gale. He struck Asura in the back, causing a gasp from him.

"Got you..." the fox snickered, him striking the shionbi while his master was fending off a barrage of razor leaves.

However... Asura grinned as he was truck.

KABOOOM!

The form of Asura exploded in a flash of fire, the sheer explosion knocking the fox back as fire burned on its body. Asura had initially attacked with a Pyro Clone-- feinting the ideal damage into it. Now the fox was caught in the explosion's shock wave.

(Training roll: All to Brawn from Explosion Fist )

The member 'Enjin' has done the following action : Destiny Roll

---

'Dice 10' : 4, 4, 3, 6, 6, 6, 6

The blast wave had stunned the fox as he went flying-- and soon he was greeted by another sight. From the sunlight above through the trees came dropping down Asura. In his hand was a strange, swirling mass of chakra-- but its color was pitch black as onyx as bits of earth swirled around it. "Doton--" Asura growled, and came down upon the fox. The fox quickly brought up his arms to block but was unable to stop the full force as it came down. "Atlas Rasengan!!!"

Asura shoved the sphere right down onto the fox-- feeling as if a boulder had fallen from the sky to land right on top of him. THe impact changed his direction entirely as the two crashed into the forest floor-- a large crater in its place as the sphere of energy went off.

The ground shook at the impact, leaving a cloud of dust. For Ravana, the assault of leaves soon ended. WIth that, he tossed the sword away, disgusted by it as if it was a cheap hooker. He got what he needed and was done

Within the 3 foot deep crater, Asura was above the fox, now sprawled flat on his back from the crushing blow. The fox groaned, more as if he had been smacked in the face rather than struck by a rank S ninjutsu.

"Heh..' The fox grunted, more amused by the crushing blow than hurt. "Nice shot, hot-head. But... that isn't enough to kill a kitsune...Now its my turn..." he growled and began to get up....

... but soon realized he couldn't. He felt a sudden pressure on his body, almost as if he had been paralyzed.

"Yeah, about that..." Asura said cockily with a smile, and rose up to his full height. "This fight is over. The jutsu I hit you with was a variation of the Rasengan with Earth Style. Meaning the chakra that hit you wasn't just a matter of force, but it caused the chakra to magnify your personal gravity 10 times over. "

The fox grunted as he tried to move, but couldn't. Even he couldn't manipulate his body enough to perform a substitution. He was stuck. "D-damn it... The hell..."

"It's called The Bane of Atlas," Asura bragged, smirking as he knelt down lower to the fox. "So, got no more tricks now? That's what you get for using Genjutsu on my mind."

THe fox growled, now irritated that he was stuck.

By this time, Ravana looked to find the fox now pinned in the crater. "Heh, well look what we have here. Well done, Asura," he said and he hopped into the crater and skidded down towards him. "Looks like you out-foxed him."

"Oh shut up..." THe fox grumbled... "You old pervert."

Asura stiffled a chuckle. He watched as soon Ravana's expression lit up to find his nodachi by the fox. He picked up the sword and kissed the hilt. "Mmm... my one true love. Its good to have you in my hands again." He said as sweetly as he would to a real lover.

"Oh, get a room..." Asura replied, and even the fox snickered at htat.

Ravana's expression soon came to the fox. His eyes glowed again, though pure white-- they were white with anger as he reached for the sword hilt. "I swore I'd never use my blade against anyone less of a worthy adversary... but I'll make an exception in your case." He began to unhook the blade's tie from its sheath. "You will die by it as punishment from stealing it from me!"

The fox's eyes widened in firght as he tried to move, but couldn't as the man took a menacing step forward.

"Master, wait!" Asura shouted-- interrupting him mid drawing of the blade.

Ravana held his blade fast, waiting as Asura stood between them. He listened but the look showed a lack of patience.

Asura turned to the fox. "Clearly you wronged us both, but I am not one for condoning senseless slaughter," Asura said as he leaned over the fox. "So you got a couple of options."

"And what are those?" Inara asked.

Asura hummed to himself, feinting thought on the matter. "Since I did catch you, how about you honor a deal. You give me the Inari Okami hammer-- the REAL hammer, and I let you go," he said, then pointed a thumb back to Ravana. "Option two... is well, you disagree and I let him skin you for a cheap fur coat."

"Bah," Ravana spat, "He wouldn't even be worth much if we sold him to the vulchers down the mountain."

The fox, with what little momentum of his head could, flopped it down onto the ground. "Alright, alright... you win. If you keep your word to release me, the hammer is yours. "

Asura smiled and patted the fox's immobile head. "Now was that so hard?" he asked.

THe fox growled again... "The hammer is in the shrine where we fought. Just use the seals monkey, dog, rooster and the seal will open." the fox said, "Just get it and get me out of here..."

With a smirk, Asura rose up and ran for the shrine a few meters outside of the crater. He left the fox alone with Ravana, who continued to leer at the fox.

"You better not be thinking of perverted thoughts, you old pervert," the fox said in a half-tease.

A growl escaped Ravana. "Shut up you cross-dressing mongrel!!" he roared, still angry that the fox disguised himself to steal from him.

Asura approached the shrine gates and saw the seals plastered over it. It was a simple shrine with a closed lid and one normally easy to open without the seals in place. With a calm breath, Asura brought his hands together and formed the seals.

"Monkey... Dog... Rooster..."

The seals suddenly glowed, then vanished in small embers upon the wood. As the seals vanished he opened the small gate inside.

Inside was a small shrine with the natural items. Insense, offerings, scrolls-- but what stood out was a mallet in the center. It was black with gold edging along it, along with a fox symbol on the top of it in the same gold color. The hammer was heavy-- now more worthy of a mallet for crafting a weapon. Satisfied with the weight, Asura rose up and held the hammer.

By the time he got back, Ravana was poking Inara in the ribs and face with the hilt of his sword, irritating the fox. "Will you stop that!!" The fox shouted.

Ravana turned as he found Asura. "You find what you were looking for?" he asked.

"I did," Asura said and showed him the hammer. "Now this looks and feels like a real hammer. "

The fox just glared at him, clearly disliking the situation. Asura soon walked back to the fox and knelt down. "Anything else you want to add about this hammer. This is the real deal right?" Asura asked.

"Yes..." Inari sighed, "Word of warning-- that is an heirloom of my people. As such, after a certain number of uses, the hammer will vanish. So use your choice of weapons you create with care. "

Though the part about it vanishing was a downer, the knowledge of the hammer of itself was valuable. He just smiled and nodded. "Thank you..." he replied.

"NOw let me out of this thing," Inara snapped, trying to pull free but not a single limb or tail moved. "Come on... I kept my word. I swear..."

Ravana shook his head. "Do you really intend to let him go?" Ravana asked, "I wanted the pleasure to pummel him myself for his tricks!" he said as he tightened the grip on his sword.

Asura had the temptation to leave him-- since the Jutsu had a set duration anyway and would wear off... but a part of him couldn't be that cruel. "Naw, I think his loss was just enough, Master... Besides, I think you learned something too."

"Yeah.. make them strip down before taking a drink from them..." Ravana half-joked, but only made Asura look at him with exasperation.

Afte he rolled his eyes, he made a simple hand sign-- the similar one of a release of chakra-- then touched the fox. Instantly, the extreme pressure on the fox's body lessened. His mobility came back almost immediately, as if led had been moved off his body.

The fox blinked, then flipped backwards. He landed into an upright crouch, still on guard in case the two men would attack him. He then glared at Asura, seeing as neither of them broke their promise and let him go. "You haven't seen the last of me. Asura... I will remember that name," the fox said, "You will pay for breaking my pride, and you will never see it coming..." The fox then once more vanished in a flurry of leaves, left without a trace.