The Will of Fire Meets the Blood of the Mist: Senkaku vs Ikado Kurosu

The heat of the sun was next to brutal. There were no clouds in the sky, not a single shred of evidence that a cold front was coming to the area very soon. Normally, such a day would've been forgiving and contagious of cheer and wonder. After all, the birds didn't seem to pay much heed to the heat, singing songs that could be heard throughout the entire forest. It was the daily melody for any trekker of the forest at this hour of the day.

However, for one who was running or exercising, it was nothing but merciless and hindering. At least, it was for the lone hunter-nin and the group of ninja he was so heavily pursuing throughout the canopy. They leaped from branch to branch, attempting desperately to evade their hunter. However, even though his cheeks were a slight pink, and sweat beaded down his face, he still kept at it, determined to catch the rogue criminals and give them their just punishment. Both predator and quarry knew of their roles; if the predator caught them, there would be no trial, only divine punishment by Hell's fires. Under his fingers, they would be so easily crushed, without any consideration for the fact that they were human beings.

Such was the job of a hunter-nin - to slay their targets and bring back the heads as proof.

Ikado was sleeping not far from there, when a bunch of kunais were trown next to him "HOLY SHIT! WHO THE FUCK DID THAT!?" yelled Ikado freaked out. He then spotted a bunch of ninjas leaping from branch to branch.

Despite the light of day, all of them were shadows in the mist that raced throughout the canopy. The pursuing shadow raised his hands up, narrowing his eyes at the running ninja. Despite knowing the position they were in, they apparently forgot one very basic thing about the rules of combat: turning your back on an opponent was a very fatal mistake that only a novice would make. He would only need to spare only one of them; the rest were expendable. He quickly formed the hand seals he needed for the killing blow, before whispering the technique.

"Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm."

Several needle like projectiles formed around him, floating with him as he ran after them. Without a moment's hesitation, he raised a finger to point at his hapless targets. With bullet speed, they were fired and unleashed upon all of them. He winced a little as he heard the needles of death connect, tearing through flesh and internal organs. His ears cringed at the screams, and his eyes wavered as he saw their bodies fall to the ground, bones snapping in two upon impact. He never liked performing such gruesome acts, even if these were criminals... but such force was necessarry.

He descended towards the fallen group, surveying the damage. Then, he lifted a hand up, materializing a sharp sword made of ice - the perfect weapon for decapitating the leader. He took in a deep breath, walking towards the targeted corpse.

"EY, YOU THERE! WERE YOU THE BASTARD THAT THREW THE KUNAIS AT ME!!!!?" yelled Ikado with his face turned red, at the hunter-nin.

"...what the fuck?"

That was the first thought that came to the hunter-nin's mind, his sword stopping itself from reaching its goal. Both of his eyes widened, one of them squinting slightly. This, along with the downward curve of both corners of his mouth, made to serve a dumbfounded expression as the infuriated voice came to his ears. He craned his head over his shoulder to look at the man behind him. "Um...yes?" He stated, unsure of what to say. For the moment, he dispelled the ice that made up his sword - he probably wouldn't be needing it. "Technically, it wasn't at you..."

"What?! Who the hell throws kunais at random!?"

"I..." Now the hunter-nin was getting a bit frustrated, unable to complete his sentence. He was almost tempted to slap himself in the forehead to emphasize, but retained his composure. "I did that by accident. My aim was off, and the kunai happened to land somewhere near you." He said in a slightly tense tone. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have work to finish..." Believing the man would leave him be after that, he turned his back on him, readying to materialize the ice guillotine once more.