Takeo Lee
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 19
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 6
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2
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Post by Takeo Lee on Aug 10, 2023 10:06:55 GMT 10
Despite the attack being stopped, there was a satisfying hit, and the sound of the clone disappearing as it was struck. Both fighters were specialist in these close quarters, so it unfortunately gave neither an advantage over the other, but Takeo's aggressive style seemed to be giving him an advantage, even if a small one. With Kuromaru focused momentarily on the clone he had planted his weapon in the ground like a bladed flag. He knew that his focus would be returning within a second, so he feigned a jumping knee just as Kuromaru would turn, intentionally missing and repositioning. He wanted to make sure his opponent saw him fighting without his weapon as he switched positions again running back across with an elbow he once more intentionally missed, trying to get it as close as he could without connecting to once again reposition where he had planted the weapon.
Stepping back to put some distance he started sprinting and, using the climbing technique to jump and grip on the side of the weapon, then plant his fit right on the top and leap into the air. The weapon buried a few more inches into the ground from his weight, launching him upward as he did a full rotation in the air, coming down with a single leg dropping down right on top of Kuromaru's head.
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Items: N/A
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Kuromaru Kaguya
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 35
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 7
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 1
Stamina: 3
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Post by Kuromaru Kaguya on Aug 10, 2023 11:51:05 GMT 10
Kuromaru's foot planted neatly into the chest of one of the Takeo's, and that one disappeared with a burst of smoke.
"So that one was the clone..." he appraises, turning his eyes back to the original. The original was already in motion; Takeo came at him with a rising knee - to which he easily evaded. That fact instantly threw up a red flag in the Kaguya's mind.
[[He's not fighting with the weapon?]] Kuromaru thinks to himself, spotting the scythe partially buried into the ground. That was strange, up until now, almost every attack this shinobi made was with that weapon. Takeo's elbow came whipping around, and Kuromaru leaned back to avoid it.
[[Two sloppy misses...]] Kuromaru said in his mind. [[...What is he up to?]]
With a sudden burst of speed, Takeo used his weapon like a spring board, faster than Kuromaru had been ready for. He didn't even have time to raise more than his eyes before the foot came crashing down against Kuromaru's skull. The blow took Kuromaru fully off his feet, and brought his head smashing into the ground with a thundering THOOOM.
The two impacts left the Kaguya reeling, and he reacted instinctually. He still had the bone sword in his right hand, and chose to make use of it. Kuromaru raises his head, bleeding from the nose and lips, and one eye showing signs of swelling. He lashes out at Takeo with a stabbing motion, aimed to pierce into the Lee's left shoulder!
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Takeo Lee
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 19
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 6
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2
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Post by Takeo Lee on Aug 11, 2023 9:51:31 GMT 10
The strike connected, and solidly, sending a shock up his own leg causing it to go numb for a brief second. Extend his arm as he was falling, he gripped onto his weapon and used it as an anchor to stabilize his fall and drop onto his feet. As soon as both feet hit the ground he pulled, the weapon coming free from the ground and being tossed back over his shoulder. There was no time for a breather or to relax as Kuromaru had shaken off his cobwebs fast, or was in fight or flight mode, striking out at him with one of his makeshift weapons. Planting his foot, Takeo lifts his weapon from the ground in a high sweep, smacking into the bone to try and parry the attack away. Taking another step back he moved out of the immediate swing range and looks down, spinning his scythe and drags it between him and Kuromaru and looks up. There was a line clearly made between the two, and against Takeo stepped back, leaving it exactly between the two of them, but said nothing. It's meaning was obvious enough, giving a line he was daring him to cross.
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Items: N/A
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Kuromaru Kaguya
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 35
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 7
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 1
Stamina: 3
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Post by Kuromaru Kaguya on Aug 12, 2023 5:02:02 GMT 10
Kuromaru's attack was overpowered by Takeo's fast reflexive action - but only barely. A split second slower, and his bone would have skewered the man's shoulder. Unfortunately for Kuromaru, Takeo Lee was simply too fast, and was without a doubt stronger than him. Takeo carved the ground and stepped back, settling into a ready position.
The bone weapon had been knocked out of his hand, and had pierced through the rock beneath their feet. Kuromaru stood up, straightening his posture and wiping dirt off his brow.
"...How interesting..." he says, wiping the blood from his mouth. His face stung, and he had noticed his vision blur after the impact. Even now, his vision was only now beginning to sharpen again. Had he not formed a defensive layer of bone under his skin, Takeo very likely would have broken his neck with that attack. "It's been too long since I have faced a shinobi of a greater caliber in Taijutsu... It seems that I misjudged you."
Kuromaru turned fully to Takeo.
"It seems that, for now, I can't defeat you. Not yet." he openly admits. "My employer will not be pleased, but this will put a bit of a dent in his schedule. It will also cost him more money; both for not informing me of someone like you being in the area, and for being uninformed about my target's potential difficulty to kill. You've earned me quite a bit more money."
Kuromaru tilts his head left to right, causing his neck to audibly pop several times. He was outmatched in this fight, that much was certain. He most definitely needed to step back and reassess the situation with this job. If this Lee took it upon themselves to start patrolling this town, his job would be impossible to do if they kept meeting.
"I am curious, though." he says, stalling. "You and I are both shinobi - we kill and are paid to do it. That man clearly hired his own guards, but I doubt you were one. Why protect some cowardly merchant? With that appearance and that weapon, you must surely be in this business. Or are you interrupting my hunt to claim the money yourself? Perhaps my employer hired multiple assassins?"
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Takeo Lee
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 19
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 6
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2
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Post by Takeo Lee on Aug 12, 2023 11:47:00 GMT 10
There was a surprising amount of humbleness being shown from the man standing across from him that he wouldn't have expected at the start of this encounter. Immediate threats were all he expected even now, but to hear him say clearly that he couldn't defeat Takeo was surprising. He was fully confident in his own abilities, otherwise he wouldn't have intervened in the first place given the circumstances, but this simply wasn't something he was used to. Even among the Lee, giving up even in a spar was a last resort unless forced to do so by an instructor. Repeating Kuromaru's line, he simply said back to him; "Not yet." With a pause, he started to look around, trying to get a better look at the area just in case. For all he knew this was when someone would jump out and back up the Kaguya. Part of him wished he had someone else with him to do the same just in case.
He did wonder about this so-called employer, as they either didn't a piss poor job or scouting the area, or they weren't paying much attention. Even if Takeo wasn't here, it wasn't impossible for others to be close by on a different day. Truth be told it wasn't likely they would have had quite as much luck, but he wasn't going to share that info in any way. "Then I should be saying you-are-welcome, both for humbling you, and the money, I guess?" Sighing and bringing his blade in front of his face, he was clearly looking it over for any damage, making a few grumbling noises. "No one pays me to kill. Had he not been screaming so obnoxiously I never would have come to check. Not a big fan of bullies either, but mostly it was the screaming." Shrugging, he draped the weapon back over both shoulders, staring back over at an opponent he wasn't sure was actually done fighting yet. "The rest of the fight was just being annoyed that you threatened to kill me. I don't take threats lightly, as they are akin to promises. Not the best first impression, breaking a promise." Pulling his weapon off his shoulder, he pointed it forward at that last sentence, tilting his body to one side.
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Items: N/A
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Kuromaru Kaguya
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 35
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 7
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 1
Stamina: 3
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Post by Kuromaru Kaguya on Aug 15, 2023 5:05:48 GMT 10
Kuromaru regards the bandaged Lee before him, a light smirk alighting his face when it became clear that he was checking for potential others that may be coming out of the woodwork. He could tell the man that he had no back up; that would have been the truth - but more often than not, if something is unknown, it also made for an excellent weapon.
The flip side is that he could warn the man to back off, or he'd call in his support - but that was a weak bluff. And a bluff like that only worked on certain types of folk; this Lee didn't strike him as one to fly into a panic, but the type to call a bluff. And since the Lee had landed virtually every blow, while stopping or evade, even overpowering, all of Kuromaru's attacks, if he chose to call the bluff it would reveal the desperation in the attempt. No, bluffing was not the method to use here.
"I'm surprised - you've the appearance of someone that would take up that work. Someone should try paying you to kill, you'd be good at this work." Kuromaru says, sincerely. "That weapon certainly makes its own suggestions."
Kuromaru then smiles.
"And don't worry - I don't break my promises. I can't kill you as we are now, but there's always another opportunity." he says conversationally, as if it were a perfectly normal thing to say. "Though, I should ask just in case - I hate to waste opportunities when they appear, after all."
Kuromaru slips his arms into his sleeves, pulling up the upper half of his yukata and pulling it closed.
"This line of work does make good money." he says. "And if by bullying, you mean torturing, then fear not - I killed those guards quickly. They had little to no time to suffer. My target would also have died quickly; albeit squealing like a terrified boar, pissing his pants. I had to tell the man to die with at least some dignity. That aside..."
Kuromaru shrugs.
"Why not work with me? Not for me, but with me." he offers. "I plan to build an organization of assassins in time, and one with your skills would be a great asset. Unless, that is, you have bigger plans of your own to pursue? Though, working with me may make it so I do have to break my promise to kill you; but I'm willing to compromise for the potential off bigger payoffs down the road."
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Takeo Lee
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 19
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 6
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2
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Post by Takeo Lee on Aug 15, 2023 18:03:02 GMT 10
Sighing at the implications being made based on his looks, his let his arm drop and his blade tip buried a few inches into the ground. He knew his look was intimidating, and to some degrees that was the point, but the assumptions he would in turn be a killer always bothered him. For all that he kept up this cool demeanor, the rough exterior, it wasn't so much an act but it was another side of himself that didn't come out often. In most cases he was warm and kind, but there simply wasn't any room for that in these kinds of situations. "The weapon, the bandages, the hood, would you believe me if I told you it was unintentional how they came together? They all serve a purpose. I may look like one, but I'm no reaper." His frankly annoying nickname as the "Blood Mummy" was certainly not one he had given to himself. A particularly savage fight defending some of the younger Lee in his clan from a Scythe wielding killer, the very one he was carrying in fact, ended with blood staining his face. Once he had returned to the village the white bandages had turned completely blood red, and the alias quickly spread.
Immediately he started groaning, quietly, at the response, lifting up his weapon and slinging it back over his shoulder. "I'm sure it does, and I'm sure you did. Good job you killed some people with meager ability to defend themselves against a Shinobi. Don't say it so proudly." Reaching up and pushing back his hood, he rubbed at the bridge of his nose and ran his fingers through his much more clear to see black hair. "Absolutely not. I won't judge what you do........too harshly at least, but no."
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Items: N/A
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Kuromaru Kaguya
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 35
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 7
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 1
Stamina: 3
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Post by Kuromaru Kaguya on Aug 17, 2023 4:30:54 GMT 10
Kuromaru's smile doesn't shift, but it was clearly now just a put on.
"I suppose you don't have a good appreciation for killing. An assassin should take a measure of pride in every life they end." Kuromaru replies, as if that were the proper way of things. "At least they were combatants, this time. I'm not a prude when it comes to my work - I've killed men and women that could and could not fight back. Men, women, children, servants, house guests - I've always been rather thorough, until today."
He then shrugs.
"Well, then that is your choice." he says, unsurprised and using a tone of mock disappointment. "I didn't think you would - you seem more like the type to play hero, like interfering with my work tonight. But, that's fine."
The smile does drop now, replaced with a menacing leer.
"It just means that our next meeting wont be particularly soon, I imagine." he says. "There's no bounty on anyone that matches your description, so killing you - even if I could right now - is a waste of money. You might piss off someone at some point, and they will put a price on your head. When that day comes, know that I will be coming to collect."
Kuromaru slips a hand into his hip pouch.
"I'm a busy man, so I'm afraid our little game has to end here. I have a job to finish, after all." he says, pulling a small, oddly smooth and rubbery ball from the pouch. It was still the middle of the night, and the only source of light up on this plateau was from the glow of street lamps a hundred feet below them just barely piercing around the corner of the drop off. "We will meet again, Lee. And I will be better prepared for that day."
Kuromaru whips his arm up over his head, and then down, popping the ball against the stone! A huge, black cloud of smoke bursts forth! Kuromaru uses the cover of both night and the black smoke to slip away, preferring to live to fight another day...
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Takeo Lee
Member
Ninja Rank: D
XP: 19
Ninjutsu: 1
Taijutsu: 6
Genjutsu: 1
Technique: 1
Toughness: 1
Speed: 3
Stamina: 2
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Post by Takeo Lee on Aug 17, 2023 20:20:37 GMT 10
"If I was an assassin perhaps I would agree, but I'm not." There were similarities in how the two fought certainly, but it seemed there were so few outside of it. If someone saw the two of them then they'd almost certainly think it was Takeo as the one to fear wielding a scythe and of course the bandages that caught everyone's attention. Even the way they fought might lead someone to think he was the more brutal of the two as he didn't hold back in fights, trying to end them quickly, but he wasn't a killer unless his hand was forced. Listening to Kuromaru talk about all of this assassin business and those he killed didn't seem to bother him as far as he was showing, but internally he was only a few steps from driving the scythe between the Kaguya's eyes. Talking about such things so brashly and openly, almost as if they were badges to be worn just didn't sit well with him. "Not wanting to murder those who can't defend themselves, for money, doesn't make me a hero. I'm not interested in that outlook or that title." It was starting to feel as if he was being goaded into attacking again, which he was more than happy to oblige. He had been assuming this was all no more than a way to buy time or catch his breath, but the man who had started the fight in the first place didn't seem as keen now to continue it. "How soon we meet all depends on how long you stay here. If I see you again, be it tonight, tomorrow, a year from now, it doesn't matter, we will continue the fight until it's finished." Grabbing his weapon he stepped forward onto the line he had earlier created and began to spin his weapon at his side, staring right into Kuromaru's eyes. "Pray that we don't." Dropping his stance he looked around to make sure this wasn't just a trick to try and catch him off guard, he eventually walked away back to what he was doing before the situation started.
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Items: N/A
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