Changes: Tea and Dango: Leaf on Rainwater

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"One kind word can warm three winter months."

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Tea and Dango

Staring out at the afternoon sky of the Land of Tea, Amegakure emissary and Jōnin kunoichi, Hina Hitoame, sat alone near the window of a small, roadside teashop, awaiting her order. With her village's attempts at reformation following the war, Amegakure had been employing her for diplomatic reasons: At the request of the village leaders, she'd been sent to the Land of Tea in the hopes of securing an important trade deal. The journey was long and she'd been traveling for several days now, having to pass through the Land of Rivers on foot and boat, and subsequently sailing across the ocean until she reached her destination.

Sitting cross-legged at her booth, Hina impatiently tapped her nails against the wooden table where she was seated—she'd been traveling all day and hadn't eaten since before the sun rose that morning. From the window, she could see white clouds drifting by and small birds flying tree-to-tree, singing their songs and building their nests; if she listened carefully, she could make out the sound of flowing water from a small stream nearby. It was a peaceful spring day and a nice change of pace from her usual line of work.

"Your order is here, Miss," said the teashop hostess, as she served Hina her green tea and dango sweets. "Will you be needing anything else?"

"Thank you and no," the kunoichi replied. "This should do just fine," she insisted, as she took her first sip of tea.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 20:22, September 17, 2020 (UTC)

However, the peaceful atmosphere the young kunoichi was enjoying would subtly dissipate as a lone figure emerged: A single shadow that stood out in the brightness of day. Slowly, as the eyes of the shop's patrons grew accustomed to the fellow, they realized that the mysterious individual was rather young and scruffy looking. As he made his way to a table, the patrons obviously caught a glance of his forehead protector, conveniently placed around his neck: A shinobi from Konohagakure. He was of course, Densetsu, whom unknown to most here, was known as the Ninto, a one man reign of terror carrying out his own vigilante brand of justice against the numerous underworld elements at large in the surrounding lands.

Much like Hina, young Densetsu too had been on a journey most arduous, having just assisted in hunting down a traitor to Kirigakure's ranks. The chase and subsequent battle hadn't been the reason behind his taxation, but the actual process to get to that point had extracted a vast toll from his reserves of energy. Now, he just wished for a beverage, even though tea was far from his favorite drink; orange juice.

He surveyed the area for a place to sit, spotting an empty table just past Hina's. As he strode in the direction of this vacant seat, a woman called out to him.

"Have a seat young sir, we'll get to you shortly!"

Densetsu turned towards the direction of the voice, where the kind tea shop hostess stood, empty tray still in her hands. He turned and smiled politely, raising his hand in a gesture of acknowledgment; though this courteous gesture would soon prove to be quite catastrophic.

As he turned back to the front, his waist hit the corner of Hina's table, bringing him lurching forward towards the young kunoichi. Caught by the sudden and clumsy mistake, his body lurched forward, threatening to completely topple the drinks and sweets that had been served to Hina just seconds earlier. As he stumbled, he tried to catch himself by sticking out his hands, accidentally knocking over the young kunoichi's ceramic teacup in the process.

His tired mind had time only to register two words.

Ah, shit.

As hot tea spilled across the table and onto her lap, Hina cried out in pain; it felt like someone had dropped hot coals on her legs, or had rubbed fiery embers into her thighs. As a natural, physical reaction, she frantically tried to stand up and move out of the way. Unfortunately for her, the ever-so-clumsy Densetsu was blocking her way out and the table she was sitting at was preventing her from standing up properly. She tried pushing him out of the way, but no sooner had she reached out to him did more hot tea pour into her lap. Frantically, she clasped her hand against her mouth, as she attempted to hold back her urge to scream—she didn't want to embarrass herself, or draw any unwanted attention. When the last of the tea had spilled, Hina remained seated as she stared at her legs, her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes—she didn't say a word.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 21:25, September 17, 2020 (UTC)

Densetsu stared at the woman, his eyes registering a mixture of shock and fear. He'd really done it now. The eyes of everyone in the establishment had turned in their direction; the commotion had already caught their undivided attention. His eyes darted from his surroundings, taking in the scene from his periphery, before focusing again on the girl less than a foot in front of him. As a gentle gust of wind blew and carried her hair with it, he could tell that it was an understatement to merely call this girl 'pretty'. She was magnetic as far as his steely gaze was concerned, with glowing skin and perfectly symmetrical facial features; reminiscent of those famous beauties that drew large male crowds in traveling plays and such.

He exhaled harshly, as his mind's voice echoed a very natural thought for a male in his late teens. I've screwed up.

But as the young kunoichi's gaze refused to meet his and the steam from the spilled tea rose from her now reddened thighs, Densetsu didn't need to be a sensor to detect the typhoon swirling in this bombshell of a being. The shadows cast by her down-turned head obscured her eyes, convincing Densetsu that the situation was indeed an extremely precarious one—one that he'd have to potentially defuse very delicately.

I've really screwed this up.

He stepped back slowly, raising his hands in front of him, eyebrows rising as his head tilted slightly; as if trying to pacify a dangerous predatory animal. The wooden establishment watched the situation unfold quietly, as chatter had suddenly disappeared. "Whoa Miss, I'm extremely sorry. I-I didn't mean to, I got distracted."

Unclasping her hand from her mouth and resting her wrists on her knees, Hina tried her hardest to keep her emotions under control; her hands were clenched tightly into little fists. Her body was trembling slightly and she bit her lip to hold back her involuntary frown, as well as the sharp lump developing in her throat. Even more painful than the burning sensation of the tea was the embarrassment she was having to endure: A kunoichi was supposed to be strong—she's supposed to be resilient and acute; it is forbidden to show weakness and taboo to present frailty. Yet something as trivial as spilled tea had moved her to the verge of tears.

"Konoha bastard," she shakily whispered under her breath.

Slowly, Hina raised her chin and lifted her head. Her indigo-colored eyes glistened and shined as she met Densetsu's timid gaze. She was glaring at him, fighting to hold back the tears welling in her reddened eyes. Her eyebrows showed her anguish with their U-shaped curves, but they also conveyed rage as they tilted inwards. Her cheeks flushed a bright scarlet color and her lips quivered.

A single tear trailed down her left cheek.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 17:45, September 18, 2020 (UTC)

Already Densetsu was very aware of the power that a woman's tears could contain. He didn't have to move his eyes to realize that the other patrons had started muttering. His simple mistake had turned him into the villain of the day; the crass young man who had made a young maiden cry.

That realization coupled with his guilt led to him overlooking her harsh comment, despite his own irritated mood from his heavy workload. Again, seeing her barely able to hold back her tears, Densetsu made his next attempt at pacifying her.

But her comment had hit a raw nerve.

He dug into his baggy fatigues, pulling out his wallet. But as she glared at him, he now held her gaze firmly in his own, his tired eyes sharpening; crystallizing into those of a viper's poised to strike. The voice that emerged now wasn't gentle or accommodating, rather, it was steady and blunt. He took care not to show anger or frustration, but he was as proud as he was young. Even when in the wrong, Densetsu wasn't a man who appreciated insults.

"No miss, I mean it. I'll pay for your meal, I'm really sorry this happened. Reimbursement is all I can offer, for what it's worth."

As the young man withdrew money from his wallet, Hina's gaze drifted towards the wad of cash in his hand. However, no sooner had he offered it to her did she slap his hand away in disgust, sending the paper currency airborne as it rained to the floor. Was she a child to him? Did he honestly think he could bribe her with money? She could hear the lack of compassion in his voice and saw the absence of care in his eyes.

"Another spoiled Konoha brat thinks he can pay his way out of conflict?" Hina inquired sharply, "You're nothing but a coward."

Around the room Hina could hear chuckles and laughter amongst the bystanders. At first, she took comfort in knowing that the arrogant young man in front of her was being publicly humiliated, but as she became more aware of the situation, she soon discovered that they were actually laughing at her.

"Crybaby should have just taken the pity-money," a mercenary at one booth chuckled to his drunken companion.

"Az ezpected of ah kunoichi," a slightly buzzed leaf shinobi slurred, "all womenz are good fer are fer slee-ipin with-hic!"

"Hey legs, come on home with me!" hollered what appeared to be a pathetic excuse for a street gangster, "I'll make you feel reeeeaaal good!" As Hina ignored him, he taunted her, "You'll like me so much baby, you won't be able to stop moaning my name all night, Yūjo-chan!"

With that final remark, Hina snapped, as she flung two already-eaten sticks of dango into the air. In the blink of an eye, the second one ricocheted off the first and pierced through her catcaller's bottom lip, causing him to scream in pain as blood dripped onto his teriyaki. Scared for his life, the coward fled the scene without even paying for his meal. The chuckling and whispers ceased, as the onlookers got the message: Hina wasn't one to be messed with.

Having dealt with the commotion in the room and addressing the assault on her pride, Hina turned her attention back to Densetsu; she still had a bone to pick with him.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 21:45, September 24, 2020 (UTC)

Densetsu kept his glaze fixed on Hina, even as she promptly silenced the one among the crowd that had decided to ridicule her. The events had transpired before he had responded to her proud swipe at his hand; before he had seized the chance to lash back at the vicious, patronizing words she had thrown at his face.

But he had to accept that he developed a grudging respect for her, for how she had handled the situation. Her delicate demeanor hid a willingness to take decisive action when the situation presented itself.

However, the delay had also given Densetsu ammunition to respond to her condescending speech, for he had spotted an object in the corner of his vision beside the window, something that allowed him to deliver a barbed whip of his own. This object was, of course, the woman's cone-shaped hat, with a metal forehead protector etched onto it—reflecting the sunlight from the window into Densetsu's eyes. The sobbing beauty was from Amegakure, by the looks.

There was still an uneasy silence, though this was brief. Densetsu straightened up, the corner of his lip curling into a snarl, his slouch diminishing as he loomed over Hina, who now stood below his shoulder level. Ignoring the money scattered at his feet, Densetsu stepped forward closer, taking up Hina's space: He wanted his words to clearly register in her head; he didn't want a single syllable to be lost.

"You know, it makes sense you hate Konoha so much now," he stated slowly, taking great care to avoid any misinterpretations whatsoever. "You lot were caught between the Great Villages after all. But you know what's precisely wrong with you folk?"

He allowed a slight pause, some part of him hoping that his words would incite her further, "You lot act like collateral, which you are... then you go ahead and bend backwards for some misguided megalomaniac and call him your God. Maybe that's why I'm not too disturbed by your hypocrisy."

Densetsu exhaled harshly, as if to suppress a laugh. "Leave it to the real cowards to put on such a show. You trembled at the mention of your false god. We proved he was only human."

He didn't bother how his strong words came across. It was common knowledge that many revered Pain, even months after his death now. Densetsu still seethed every time he set foot in his village, wishing desperately that he could have joined the battle to defend it. To have prevented all the destruction, even though Pain had restored the villagers' lives with his own life. Although his sacrifice had softened the stance of many of the villagers towards him since he had returned the lives he claimed, Densetsu could not forgive him. He now stood his ground, refusing to back down from Hina, refusing to give her any more room to use this accident to verbally abuse him; his deep set eyes aggressively sized her up, daring her to challenge his words.

As the young man loomed over her and continued to stare her down, it became more and more apparent that Hina was having difficulty maintaining eye contact with him. His intimidating aura had made her visibly uncomfortable and she fidgeted slightly. Her eyes darted to her left, she brought her arms to her chest and crossed them underneath her bosom, and she anxiously rubbed her thighs together. However, she couldn't ignore his insults towards her village and its heroes, so she found the courage to take him on. Refusing to have her personal space violated by him any longer, Hina challenged his authority, "You're wrong!" she started, "Lord Pain fought for us courageously in order to establish peace and bring about justice! He led us by example and gave us hope when there was none—you leaf ninja could never understand!

Recalling past experiences, Hina let out a flood of emotions, "It's because of your village's ceaseless wars that families like mine were forced into inescapable poverty! You destroyed and left our land in ruins, poisoned the air we breathe with invisible toxins, split families apart, slaughtered children, and stripped us of our pride as a people! As a result, children like me grew up in poor families with barely enough to eat, few clothes to wear, and no access to medicine!

The young kunoichi's voice had begun to sound hoarse and anyone with a knack for people could tell that she was speaking from the heart. "I went to bed on wet pavement each and every night—starving—with only rags for clothes!" she cried. "The only way out of that miserable life was through offering my life up as a child-soldier for no reason other than to survive! I didn't own a pair of shoes until I turned 13! Standard, military-issued Amegakure sandals! There were thousands of children with stories exactly like mine and only through the grace of Lady Angel and the strength of Lord Pain were we saved! They were there for us when no one else was; they tried to lead us when no one else could! Each and every one of us owes our lives to Lord Pain!"

Hina was furious, as was made more than obvious by her trembling body, shaky voice, exclamatory language, and spiteful facial expression. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed and she felt little else but sheer animosity towards the young man looking down at her; the extent of her wrath seemed boundless.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 07:41, September 26, 2020 (UTC)

She had a point and he knew it all too well. How many people had been caught between the wars the Great Villages and their shinobi waged? Much had been said about the casualties from major villages, but very little came out about those from smaller villages. But Densetsu couldn't help but shake his head at her tirade.

It wasn't that he didn't feel for the generations affected by unnecessary wars, or that he supported the vile actions of his village in the past. Perhaps more than most, he felt great shame for so many of Konoha's past atrocities. Atrocities he partook in during his year in the ANBU. But more than anything, he was bewildered by how she kept a megalomaniac on a pedestal. Astonishment at how thoroughly so many people still believed in petty things like vengeance, relying on so called 'gods' like Pain to act as their messengers.

"So you've known war then, one way or another. Good. You know how it tears people apart," he stated, somewhat calmly, not losing even a hint of the intensity in his eyes. He was unbothered by her anger, but spiteful towards her idolizing of Pain. He had spent five years away from his beloved village and he had seen first hand how the Akatsuki's reign of terror had impacted so many lives. But, in his opinion, the woman in front of him seemed to care only about the past. She seemed to use that to justify Pain's divinity.

"Pain would have thrust us into a conflict without an end. His war to end all wars was a sham. A lie," Densetsu hissed, coiling up slowly as he threw his beliefs out into the open. "I've seen what his group did to people. He was exactly the same poison you breathe; he was exactly the same warmonger as the Great Villages. He was a criminal, a scumbag, and now he's dead. Thankfully our world's richer for it."

He slammed his hand on the table, as some of the other observers jolted back in shock. "Here's a tip lady, step outside your village. If you can't realize that what bastard Pain has done is as evil as the actions of the Great Villages, you're living a lie. He wasn't a god, just another insane criminal, period."

What Hina heard was exactly what she expected from someone who grew up sheltered and spoiled; typical of a Konoha rat who enters the shinobi lifestyle seeking glory and prestige, rather than out of necessity and love of one's village—the hope for the next generation to live a better life. Having reached the breaking point of her level of tolerance, she could no longer hold herself back. She was fuming on the inside and had reached her limit.

It happened without warning: Hina's hand flew through the air as she tried to slap Densetsu as hard as she could across his left cheek. Carrying the culmination of her malice and short temper, her hand zeroed in on the young man's ever-so-punchable face.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 04:32, September 27, 2020 (UTC)

But her swinging palm was met with a momentary flicker, as those watching would barely be able to detect Densetsu's movements; the hand that once rested on the table whipped upwards in defense. With the speed of lightning and a grip of stone, he grabbed Hina's wrist, squeezing it so tight that the young woman gasped in pain; the veins on the back of her palm seemed to throb outwards as her hand quickly began to redden under his grip—her fingertips were turning purple. As she futilely struggled to free her aching wrist, Densetsu only tightened his iron grip; his eyes had widened in rage from the kunoichi's unsolicited acts of aggression.

As Densetsu eyed her down menacingly, all Hina could do was try to loosen his grip on her right hand, however, he wouldn't budge. Scowling at him, she let out a frustrated yell as she raised her right knee high into the air before bringing her foot crashing down upon his with all her might. With little time to react, Densetsu felt a jolt of excruciating pain as the spike of Hina's indigo-black, high-heel, strap sandal jammed itself into his left foot. Driven by agony, he recoiled momentarily, as his mind took time to process what had just occurred.

Seizing her opportunity to attack, Hina lunged her left hand towards Densetsu's face. Her fingers were outspread and her fine nails were like the talons of a hawk, unmistakably trying to scratch and claw at his face and eyes. There was no martial discipline, only rage.

However, Densetsu had already read the follow up. With a quick and decisive motion, he jerked his head back and to his left, giving himself more than enough room to react to Hina's darting hand; simultaneously, he pulled back his foot, the one that Hina had just stomped on. As a result, this would unsettle Hina's balance and—just as Densetsu's free hand intercepted hers—he pulled the kunoichi to the side. Using the momentum generated by the rotation of his own body and that of her own thrusting hand, Densetsu expertly swept her across him and onto the table where the remainder of the young woman's tea and sweets were. It happened so fast; Hina wasn't prepared.

The entire table shook as Hina was forced onto the wooden surface, Densetsu pinning her down with his own body weight. Keeping her wrists tightly clutched in his hands, he put himself over her to prevent any further aggression. The disbelief on his own face wasn't even contained at this point, as was made apparent by his eyebrows turning inwards; he was simply unable to comprehend what this woman was actually up to.

"Just what the hell is your problem?!" he shouted into her face. He could still feel the throbbing pain in his left foot.

Putting no effort into explaining herself, Hina simply twisted and turned, struggling to release herself from Densetsu's grasp. Laying with her back on the table and her wrists pinned down on either side of her head, she fought ferociously to free herself. Meanwhile, Densetsu loomed over her as she resisted his attempts to subdue her. It wasn't long until the young woman's acts of defiance began to subside, however something seemed a bit off.

As the young man pushed himself closer to her, Hina flinched; he was holding her down and his body was right up against hers. Her heart felt as if it was beating out of her chest and she couldn't bear to meet his angry gaze. Unable to maintain eye-contact, she let her eyes drift to her left. Unlike last time, she couldn't find the courage to resist his intimidating aura. He had her back to the wall, almost literally, and there was nothing she could do. She was mad—hell, she was even more mad now—but she felt powerless. He had invaded her personal space.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 19:22, September 30, 2020 (UTC)

Looking closely at the kunoichi, Densetsu could tell that she was panting slightly—her bosom rose and fell at a steady pace; it was clear to him that she had exhausted herself trying to wriggle out of her current predicament. However, there seemed to be something else that peaked his interest: As he tried to look directly into her eyes, she averted his gaze and even seemed scared—there was a small hint of fear. Looking closer at her face, he noticed that she was blushing profusely, but the reason as to why eluded him. He felt movement under him and he tightened his grip on her wrists, but soon realized that the girl was squirming around underneath him. If anything, it looked like the situation had made her incredibly uncomfortable.

And it was only moments later, before he could revel in his subduing of his assailant, that Densetsu realized truly what was wrong with the picture. His opponent had stopped struggling, seemingly subservient and unwilling to challenge him further. With his face so close to hers and their bodies basically in contact with each other. The brashness of youth and urgent screams of his commonsense alerted him to the fact that the their scuffle had devolved into something of a more...feral nature. His neck tensed up as he released a sharp exhale, hands loosening quickly to escape from the vulgar position he had just created.

He straightened up abruptly, while she still remained on her back in front of him, lying in that wooden table. Shocked by her sudden submissiveness, resisting his own raging teenage emotions and almost visibly clattering in embarrassment, he finally stepped back, turning his face away from her and averting his gaze to the floor. A frown appeared on his lips. Without a moment to spare, Hina pressed her thighs together, closing her legs and protecting her modesty.

More muttering from the audience. Perhaps an odd chuckle here and there. He glanced at the establishment's patrons from the corner of his eyes. He shook his head and clicked his tongue, expressing annoyance in the most polite manner he was accustomed to as he turned to face the still supine Hina.

"Stop it. This is over, I told you I'm sorry, but I grovel for your apology. And this," he pointed angrily in Hina's direction,"is nothing but a colossal waste of my time."

He sighed and prepared to turn away to exit the establishment.

Hina steadily sat upright as she watched Densetsu walk away from the scene; her pride was all but gone. As she soothingly rubbed her wrists, she silently seethed in rage. He had spilled hot tea on her and caused her to shed tears; he caused the patrons to treat her with disrespect; he had insulted her village and its heroes; he had brought out her anger and compelled her to attack him; he had forced her to submit and even though he had forced her submission, still he chose to apologize and walk away.

"That's what I hate so much about you Konoha shinobi!" Hina yelled after him. "You go around making a mess of things—making life hard for everyone else—and then you apologize and get to walk away unscathed, never facing the consequences of your actions, or suffering in the ways that we do!"

Densetsu stopped in his tracks.

Venting, Hina persisted, "You get to go home to a village full of happiness, warmth, and love, with peace bought at the expense of others, while I return home to a grey land that's always crying! Your village bows its head and apologizes over and over again, but such actions are nothing but self-serving! You get to watch your youth grow up strong and healthy; I am tired of seeing the parents of my village having to bury their own children!"

In her tantrum, Hina picked up and threw her ceramic teacup at Densetsu. "Coward!" she screamed, "Konoha bastard!"

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 00:43, October 3, 2020 (UTC)

Without even looking he merely tilted his head to one side, allowing the teacup to pass his head, as his right hand flickered upwards simultaneously. Densetsu caught the ceramic cup effortlessly, eliciting hushed whispers from the crowd, marveling at the youngster's reflexes. Slowly, he lowered his hand, placing the cup on the tabletop closest to him, where two middle-aged women glanced nervously at him.

He wasn't in a hurry to turn around, choosing to keep his eyes focuses on the doorway. The way out. A means of escape from what had been an extremely unsavory last few minutes. But still he remained, back towards the woman who couldn't stop assaulting his pride and tearing into his village's less-than-prolific past. But above all, Densetsu could see the problem that lay in her rage and ferocity—the fundamental issue that still plagued all the major villages, one that the Fourth War helped shatter for the Great Villages.

People were so fixated on the past that they refused to move forward together.

That, along with her unrelenting attacks on him as well as her physical attacks had greatly angered him. But for him, it wasn't anything new in his five years of nomadic wandering. And so, instead of backing away from this problem, he did what he had done countless times before.

He stood his ground and turned to face the issue head on, looking directly into Hina's eyes and refusing to step back. "So I ask you this then," he started coolly, slowly allowing the rest of his body to turn towards her. "What are you going to do about it?"

It was her move. Hina wanted nothing more than to bash his skull in with a frying pan, but posed with Densetsu's question, she realized she needed to calm down if she was going to get what she wanted. Lashing out at him wasn't going to make her feel any better; it was a fight she truly wanted. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Hina controlled her rage, directing her wrath and focusing it into confidence. Exhaling, she smiled slightly—eyes still closed. Crossing her legs, right over left, she assumed a position of dominance. She was as angry as ever, but now she was focused and her gaze was cold; she was remarkably sangfroid.

With her legs crossed and her feet dangling inches off the floor, Hina ran her fingertips along the fringes of her indigo-colored Qipao dress, slipping her pale hand underneath the slit that ran up the right edge of her skirt, before brushing it to the side, revealing the bareness of her entire right leg. Wrapped around her now-visible, upper-right thigh was a band slotting a dozen senbon, one of which Hina promptly removed. As she slipped the metal needle out of it's slot, she started talking. In a calm and steady voice, yet one reeking of animosity, she replied, "I'm going to teach a cowardly young man a lesson."

Flicking the needle in Densetsu's direction, Hina sent the chakra-enhanced senbon whizzing through the air at remarkable speed. It landed inches away from his feet, as intended. "If you're worth anything," she started, "fight me fairly." The young kunoichi had issued a challenge: For the sake of his and his village's honor, Densetsu would have to accept, lest he prove himself to be just as cowardly as the young maiden claimed.

"Of course, if you're all bark and no bite, I'll let you walk away, but there is one condition." Hina smiled hubristically as she stuck out her dainty right foot, "if you really don't want to fight, coward, kiss it." She knew a young man his age was brimming with pride and arrogance; he would never do such a thing. If he had to choose between humiliating himself by kissing her foot, or accepting her challenge, chances are he'd accept her challenge... and that was exactly what Hina wanted. Of course, she didn't want his filthy lips anywhere near her, but her goal was to provoke him.

"If you refuse to both fight me and kiss my foot," Hina spoke, "I'll kill you where you stand." Her eyes had turned quite serious and one could tell that her inner hatred was overflowing despite her best attempts at hiding her pain. "The choice is up to you." she concluded.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 07:19, October 3, 2020 (UTC)

Densetsu took his time to shift his eyes from her, to the senbon she has just flicked at him and then back to her again. I'll kill you where you stand. How many times had he heard that in his 18 years of life? He honestly could not recall. But he wasn't surprised; he had a natural talent when it came to making enemies after all.

"You know, you were way scarier when you were defenseless and dainty," he said, voice quiet but clear as the tea shop's atmosphere had gotten tense, wallowing in nervous silence. He raised his head upwards, while his pupils remained fixated on Hina.

Slowly a dry, cocky smirk emerged on his face. The guilt evaporated and his hesitation ebbed away, relieved that he wasn't preying on some feeble individual; liberated by the chains her meek demeanor had set upon him. "If you wanted a kiss that badly sweetie, you could have asked politely. I might have actually obliged..." She scowled in disgust.

Ignoring her threat, he turned away from her, so that his back was facing her again. An expression of overflowing arrogance in most circles it would seem, to turn one's back away from a potential opponent.

"I accept your challenge. We'll take this outside."

As his fingers gripped the handle of the door, a dense shockwave of energy pulsed from him, rippling through the air and causing the nearby customers to jerk in shock. Hina's senbon, which had been stuck into the floorboard, immediately dislodged, clattering harmlessly behind a few tables. The door remained open.

Pride and Youth

The sun was like a small dandelion floating across the deep-blue sea of the cloudless afternoon sky; it's rays gracing the nearby tree leaves and casting reflections in puddles and pools. Snakes were basking in the sun on warm, afternoon rocks. Birds were plucking worms from the soil, eyeing the wiggling creatures through the blades of green grass. A slight breeze was in the air, carrying with it a remedy to the sun's scorching rays, but today was a cool spring day, and so the sun felt pleasant to the skin.

Along a winding road, in the heart of the Land of Tea;
Outside a small teashop, where leaf and rain meet;
There stood two shinobi—a man and a kunoichi;
Anger blooms after noon, blossoms like a cherry tree;
Leaf on rainwater; Pride and Youth!

As a gentle breeze graced Hina's skin and carried her silky hair along its current, her indigo locks appeared as a swaying banner in the wind. Facing the young man several meters away, Hina stood her ground and analyzed Densetsu in an attempt to gauge his fighting ability. She, along with the shinobi in front of her, was standing outside of the tea establishment on the nearby dirt road. Onlookers had already begun to gather around to see the spectacle—after all the drama from earlier, they were expecting a big fight. Some of the bystanders were placing their bets. Others were only curious of each challenger's abilities.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 16:48, October 8, 2020 (UTC)

Halfway across the makeshift stage which would be their battleground, Densetsu stared back.

He was remarkably calm. Unshakable, in every sense of the word. He didn't experience formal duels nowadays; situations where shinobi dueled like this were uncommon after the days of the Chunin Exams. Densetsu's opponents were usually of a wilder quality. Barbaric and vicious adversaries who fluctuated from merciless thugs in torn down slums to power hungry despots seeking to conquer the world. Of course these people had heard of his alter ego, the Human Torch, with its furry hoodie and blood red monkey mask. But to be in combat as his true self, without a globally recognized name and without much renown, held its own charms to the young man.

Densetsu carefully sized up his slender opponent, looking past her feminine wiles and appearance to draw a cautious first impression. He had seen how deft her movements were in the teashop—how she instinctively used the dango sticks as weapons. And how she had hit her target with barely a wasted movement. He had also seen her weaponry when she had suggestively dangled her thighs to intimidate him. Senbon were a personal favorite, he wanted to assume. Senbon were also a relief to him, as they were quick but lacked the weight of kunai, meaning that despite their speed and versatility, they would be easy to deflect. There was no doubt in his mind that she was very talented when it came to wielding projectiles, which Densetsu instinctively understood meant that he would have to keep an eye on her wrist movements. Projectile users tended to favor wire strings in his experiences, but most of the time their wrist work would give them away. Her outfit was tailored to facilitate movement from the looks of it. He remembered her tactics when he confronted her as well, how that brief physical altercation between them played out. At first glance she didn't appear to possess great strength, but she compensated with unorthodox fighting methods which could even be described as being 'dirty' judging by that toe stomp.

He let a hand rest upon his waist as she continued to eye him.

The variables he couldn't predict right now were the number of elemental transformations she had at her disposal, her overall skill with ninjutsu and her genjutsu abilities. He also decided that he'd proceed on the assumption that her speed at least matched his, at least until proven otherwise.

Exhaling silently, Densetsu's right hand left his waist and rose slowly to the level of his chest, forming the seal of confrontation; the traditional courtesy at the beginning of a bout. His body bent low as he spread his legs wide, his leading leg bent at the knee, his stance resembling that of a sprinter at the start line. His left hand rested upon the ground beside his leading foot as he called out to her.

"Before we begin, be a courteous combatant and tell me your name," Densetsu called out boldly, his muscles tensing as he awaited her own seal of confrontation, which would begin their duel. The cool wind blew his short hair as a flash of red light flickered into his eyes, drawing gasps from those in the crowd with eyesight sharp enough to detect the awakening of the Sharingan.

Upon seeing the Sharingan activate in the young man's eyes, Hina's own eyes widened slightly and her facial expression turned to one of shock, if only for a moment. "You are an Uchiha," she remarked coolly, "one of the last surviving members of your clan I presume? I didn't know there were any of you left." With her right hand she rotated the handle of her umbrella, causing the device to twirl over her shoulder; it cast a small shadow over her figure. She smiled gently and closed her eyes.

"Hina. I am Hina Hitoame, Jōnin of the Hidden Rain." She opened her eyes and formed the seal of confrontation with her left hand, concentrating her chakra.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 14:14, October 10, 2020 (UTC)

Upon finally hearing her name, Densetsu clapped his hands together, still in his low stance. "One of the last? I'd be surprised if that were actually the case."

Their eyes had already locked and the seal of confrontation had been made. Densetsu had established the link between them that he would need for his first shot at the opponent.

"The name's Densetsu Uchiha, Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf," he called, before his hands separated and a flaming orb erupted from his parted lips. This ball of flame seemed to expand in size as it got closer to Hina, threatening to swallow her whole, cutting off every avenue of escape as it loomed larger and larger over her petite build.

The attack of course, was an illusion. A simple genjutsu that Densetsu had placed on her when she had peeked into his Sharingan, which he now quickly used to scan her figure as his attack registered. Clarity of vision was underrated when it came to the Sharingan's piercing stare, as it allowed its users to observe even the most seemingly minute details of their choosing. He looked for any tools he could see on her person while attempting to detect creases and irregularities in her clothing that would reveal concealed weaponry as well. Densetsu simultaneously focused chakra into the soles of his feet and the muscles above them, preparing himself for a devilish burst of speed that justified his eccentric stance.

The umbrella would be the first tool Densetsu would seek to isolate from her, as he had experience with those pesky umbrellas in both direct and ranged combat. Some could fire projectiles while others doubled as swords. One had functioned as a shield in his past battles. In this case, Densetsu hoped that it wouldn't be a mix of all three as his left hand slipped behind to his weapons pouch, gripping a kunai from it. His right handful followed suit as it dragged a single explosive tag from the pouch, which he wrapped around the kunai's hilt.

Unfazed by the massive fireball headed in her direction, Hina maintained her seal of confrontation, refusing to move from her location until it was practically upon her. "Release..." she whispered, as she used the chakra she had been concentrating to disrupt the genjutsu she'd been placed under. During what should had been the fireball colliding with Hina's body, instead the flaming sphere ripped apart inches away from her and dissipated into the air, leaving illusionary embers drifting away in the wind.

"Genjutsu of that level won't work on me, young man," Hina spoke, "it was a quite obvious move on your part, as I'm sure you well know: Anyone who's done their homework knows about the ocular powers of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, and it's capacity for genjutsu. The moment I recognized your eyes I took precautions, as I had already looked, and I began concentrating my chakra to break free of your illusion the moment the duel started." Her umbrella was now shielding her eyes, "For future reference, might I add that next time you choose to create an illusionary fireball, don't forget its shadow."

With the umbrella tilted so that it barely covered her eyes, Hina stared at Densetsu through its fabric. In effect, she could look him in the eyes, but he wouldn't be able to see hers. She'd be invulnerable to his genjutsu. Of course, she didn't plan on relying on it exclusively, but she wanted a clear view of what Densetsu was going to do next, all the while fooling him into believing that she was blind to his actions.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 20:06, October 12, 2020 (UTC)

"Hmph," Densetsu chuckled in response, a tight smirk creeping on his face as the kunai danced around his index finger, spinning a few rounds before his other fingers tightened around its handle.

Shinobi and kunoichi from the surrounding villages had access to knowledge on the Sharingan. While it wasn't exactly curriculum since the Uchiha were no longer a threat for the past ten years or so, it wouldn't have been surprising if she had learned counters to his eyes from an industrious tutor or an obscure book. She had enough cognitive ability to pre-emptively break his Genjutsu instead of detecting it and then breaking it. And she had enough sense to reduce eye contact with him in battle. Densetsu instinctively grasped that she held basic knowledge of the uses of the Sharingan, but that she would not be able to latch onto his own applications of it, or towards the subtler, more personalized aspects every individual wielder was granted.

Unless he allowed her to.

He had already taken in his surroundings while he had waited for her to join him here, up to the point she had dispelled his attack. He had good enough knowledge to maneuver himself should certain senses be robbed. After fighting sound based assailants, he knew the importance of fighting with most of his senses deprived.

The tender heat of the sun bathed him, as he allowed himself to enjoy a gentle breeze sweeping through the trees before making his move. With a flick of his wrist the projectile streaked through the air and towards Hina's face, where her umbrella protected her eye-line.

His now empty fingers formed the seal, as the explosive tag responded to his chakra midway between him and Hina, dispersing the shrapnel in a wide range in order to force her response. But as the tag detonated, Densetsu flickered into non-existence, a plume of gravel and dust exploding where he had stood initially. But as just as the dust from his shift emerged, Densetsu reappeared — his speed shocking the onlookers around them, drawing gasps.

He had now re-positioned on Hina's right, closing the distance between them from long range to a more medium range. She now had two targets to deal with: shrapnel from the inanimate, but now detonated kunai, and Densetsu on the right. His Sharingan swiveled wildly, while the pupils darted left and right, reading the mildest twitches in her forearms, the protrusion of her tendons in the wrists and the movements of her joints. He'd be able to see a trick before it came and he'd then be able to react adequately when the sleight of hand was performed.

With the kunai having exploded only a few meters away from her, Hina had little time to dodge the surprise attack. Making a split-second decision, she swiveled around and crouched, so that she was facing away from the oncoming shrapnel and her umbrella was protecting her entire rear flank; during this maneuver, she caught a glimpse of Densetsu moving to her right, which was now her left. Funneling her chakra into the olive-colored umbrella, she made it into the equivalent of a sturdy shield. With a series loud thuds, the shrapnel pellets hit the chakra-infused umbrella, only to bounce off and fall to the dirt below, leaving Hina—as well as her umbrella—undamaged.

Seeing Densetsu closing the gap between them on her left, Hina anticipated an attack: The exploding kunai was only a diversion and now she was a sitting duck. Thinking quickly, she determined that her best course of action was to set up her own surprise counterattack, as simply throwing projectiles at a Sharingan wielder in stationary defense likely wouldn't turn out in her favor. With no time to spare, Hina took a deep breath and released a cloud of thick, grey-black fog from her mouth, rendering visibility of her to absolute zero, while simultaneously stowing away her umbrella in the obi sash wrapped around her waist. Hidden by the dark fog enveloping her, she quickly weaved the hand seals: Ram → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 17:14, October 13, 2020 (UTC)

Hare, boar, rat, snake.

Densetsu's fingers whipped together in less than a second as he detected the muscles of her cheeks contracting, inhaling loudly as his entire person enlarged, expelling his chakra through his own pursed lips. As a fog burst out to protect Hina, Densetsu's own attack tore straight through it. Dozens of projectiles of wind distorted the air in front of him, as they tore through the thick fog towards Hina's last location. However unlike a more precise attack, this Wind Release technique sacrificed raw precision for projectile quantity and speed. The barrage was unrelenting, each staccato burst sending dozens of projectiles in just a second, with erratic and purposely random pauses for quick breaths.

Unlike the infamous Kirigakure assassination technique employed by the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Hina's own smokescreen was of a more limited range, though much thicker. This meant that Densetsu's heavy visual advantages would be nullified if he were to allow the fog to envelop him; nullified to a far greater extent than the Hiding in the Mist ability, which still granted his eyes most of its perks at the cost of only range. Densetsu's Sharingan had allowed him to analyze the nature of Hina's technique though, so he was able to ascertain it was a Water Release ability: he could now also copy it with his Sharingan. She had created that barrier between his eyes and her movements precisely because she was planning a surprise attack or setting up an elaborate trap; either with her bukijutsu or her Water Release. It would make sense for her to utilize the Water Release as well, given that she had expelled a moderate amount of water for fog.

Armed with his Sharingan, there was one more major advantage that Densetsu actually possessed. His sensory abilities. The moment Hina stepped out of her bubble of vision obscuring chakra or she launched an attack past its boundaries, Densetsu would be able to detect the anomaly and he'd be ready to react.

As he continued spewing projectiles into Hina's fog while slowly backing away to stay clear of its range, his hands now formed a different set of hand seals.

Inside her cloud of dark fog, Hina didn't even see the wind bullets whiz past her, but she could hear them coming. Making no effort to dodge, she waited until several of the bullets struck her, some of them grazing her legs and others colliding with her arms and chest. Suddenly, she vanished—unscathed—leaving only a small puddle of water behind in the center of the cloudy fog.

As Densetsu continued to barrage her dark fog, Hina appeared off-road in the forest nearby. Ahead of her, she saw Densetsu's back facing towards her; from the looks of it, he was completely unaware that she had used a substitution, but she had to act fast before her cloud of fog dissipated. Silently, she body flickered up to a nearby branch, balancing on it with ease. Through the leaves of the other trees she could barely make out Densetsu, implying that he was out in the open whereas she was still very much hidden from his line of sight.

Crouching, Hina swung upside-down so that her legs were wrapped around the tree branch and her body was suspended midair—the flaps of her dress, as well as her hair flowed downwards in accordance to the laws of gravity. Carefully, she brought her left arm to eye level, aiming her Wrist-Mounted Senbon Launcher right at the back of Densetsu's head. Ordinarily, she'd shoot a senbon into her opponent's head, resulting in a quick, silent kill, but since this was a duel, she'd have to make adjustments and target one of the pressure points in the neck, which would temporarily paralyze the target if struck. Swapping out her thicker senbon for a smaller needle, Hina refocused her aim, intending to strike the pressure point in her adversary's neck. In the event she missed the pressure point, the tiny needle was also coated in a soft paralysis poison, which would still give Hina more than enough time to finish the job.

Concentrating her breathing, Hina anticipated her heartbeat and pulled the string of her launcher, sending the tiny, invisible needle flying through the tree leaves at remarkable speed. The senbon launcher greatly enhanced speed, accuracy, and penetrating power, and the tiny needle made no noise as it sped towards Densetsu's blindspot.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 16:00, October 18, 2020 (UTC)

The senbon landed, as to the neutral observer it seemed like the match had been decided. But all of a sudden the projectile bounced off, landing with an almost unnoticeable thud on the soft soil; as chunks of a hard substance started dropping from Densetsu's flesh, landing beside the senbon.

The hand seals he had woven had allowed him to create a coat of armor for himself which could be hardened at will: something he preferred to use when immobilizing opponents. While powerless against techniques infused with penetrative natures such as Lightning or Wind and most elemental attacks, it was more than enough to take a single senbon or to dampen physical blows.

But of course, Densetsu had been able to sense her the moment she broke through her vision obscuring fog. Her exact location. Setting up behind him for a sneak attack. He'd be able to detect any other clones or chakra rigged tricks she had up her sleeve as well. With his sensory capabilities, he didn't have to even tilt his neck to know where she was, as the muscles in his thighs rippled underneath his combat fatigues. For a moment he seemed to sway briefly, his body leaning forward as if to fall to the ground...

And before the senbon could hit the ground with its ever-so-gentle thud, green smoke had exploded all around Densetsu, exploding in an arc around his location, seeming to spread towards his left. A blur of motion emerged on Hina's side within the briefest moment. Densetsu propelled himself toward her in midair, apparently having closed down the distance between them in a frighteningly short time—his lean hand stretching forward to reach for her upside down face, swirling Sharingan breaking down every single movement she could attempt to make.

Caught off-guard by Densetsu's burst of speed, Hina widened her eyes in surprise, as the young man came right at her, fingers outstretched. With his hand mere inches from her face, she caught a glimpse of the beautiful tomoe that decorated his scarlet-red eyes, as his head now occupied a sizable portion of her vision. She hadn't expected him to anticipate, yet alone counter her attack and turn the tables in his favor so suddenly. Not to mention, the speed at which he had reacted and his ability to close the gap between them so quickly, forced Hina to now make a series of split-second decisions.

With little time to do much of anything, Hina instinctively spit a needle from her mouth towards Densetsu's general direction, as she simultaneously uncoiled her legs from the tree branch she was hanging from, allowing gravity to send her plummeting to the ground below and giving her an opportunity to escape for the time being. As she fell from the tall tree with her back facing towards the ground, she reached behind her and removed her umbrella from her obi, deploying it and allowing herself to recover as she gently floated to the forest floor.

No sooner had the heels of her sandals touched the soft blades of grass, did Hina quickly assume a crouching position, as she closed her umbrella and funneled chakra into the soles of her feet before dashing away at high speed, heading towards the nearby stream she'd passed earlier in the day. The creek led to a beautiful waterfall at the edge of a cliff on the small mountain they were on. It was there that she'd attempt to gain the upper hand.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 20:56, October 25, 2020 (UTC)

A cloud of smoke exploded where 'Densetsu' had been hit with the senbon. The original Densetsu stood calmly behind the now dissipating green smoke bombs, where he had launched his clone. He watched as she blasted off, still tracking her movements. He had a good idea of her abilities and her combat style now, having taken the time to analyze her speed and the way she utilized her abilities. She had exquisitely precise aim and relied on speed to complement her deft positioning. Traits she used to outmaneuver her opponents and strike their weak spots: Perhaps compensation for her lack of sheer brute strength. Densetsu reckoned that a certain aptitude for mathematics helped her with her projectile use, as she had a crafty knack for creating off angles to properly exploit. She also had at least one elemental release in her locker with the Water Release already being displayed, but Densetsu was guessing her actual chakra reserves were not humongous in nature - she took great care to pace her attacks and expend as little chakra as possible. So far in the match her tactics revolved around misdirection and counterattacks, which possibly meant that she was creating another show on a different stage.

He decided to oblige her.

Densetsu followed quickly as his clone dissipated, using his eyes and senses to keep up with the retreating Hina; until coming into view of a waterfall.

Of course, his first instinct was to take into consideration that she was possibly guiding him to an arena where her Water Release could be properly utilized. Even with average chakra reserves, users of the Water Release could boost their abilities greatly by having large sources of water nearby. Academy textbooks and countless riverbank and ocean-side battles had taught Densetsu this lesson; drilled it into his head. Of course, he took quick notes of his surroundings: a cliff greeted him, but more calming was the isolation from the crowd that had gathered to watch their duel. It was therapeutic to battle without an audience. Freedom from his shackles in some respects.

The cliff and water also played to Densetsu's own strengths: Maneuverability and the Water Release.

Coming to edge of the river, Hina rushed across the riverbank, stepping onto the water itself and following it to the edge of the cliff—Densetsu wasn't far behind. The mist from the waterfall dampened her skin and her feet were made wet from the rapids beneath her. Carefully dancing around slippery stones and jagged rocks, she finally reached the edge of the cliff; a lone hawk was soaring high in the clear, blue sky above her.

Not even stopping for a moment, Hina quickened her pace—umbrella in hand—as she daringly charged the summit of the waterfall. Deploying her umbrella at just the right moment, she caught a slight breeze which lifted her feet off the water itself and gently carried her away through the air, bringing her up higher than she had expected and allowing her a crystal-clear view of the lake below and the waterfall several meters beneath her. At the cliff where she was moments earlier was Densetsu, who had already caught up to her—if she had ran any slower, she wouldn't have made it in time.

As she gently floated downwards towards the small lake 23 meters below her, Hina analyzed her surroundings with what little time she had. She didn't know how deep the water was at the base of the waterfall (but it seemed quite shallow) and she didn't know if there were rocks below, but she could see the forest wrapping around the lake, and there was more than enough water for her to use for her ninjutsu. Turning her attention to Densetsu, she smiled at him pretentiously, as she unleashed her attack.

Pressing a small button on the handle of her umbrella, Hina released a barrage of deadly senbon which dispersed and covered an even wider area after she twirled the handle with her fingers. Aimed in Densetsu's general direction, the volley of deadly needles rained down from the sky onto his location; a surprise attack headed towards him that came only moments after Hina had been running so quickly away from him.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 17:04, October 27, 2020 (UTC)

Densetsu barely had just enough time to react as the muscles around her fingers twitched around the umbrella's handle, his fingers forming the 'ram' hand sign to summon his shield. A transparent blue hue exploded into existence, hissing and shimmering as it met the senbon shower head on, scattering the projectiles in different directions but keeping the crouching Densetsu safe at the center.

But his quick thoughts were already focused on two things: a more elaborate bukijutsu trap that could have been set up, or a wide scale Water Release technique that she could employ while she was midair. Densetsu realized there were three main ways she could manipulate the water around them. She would either utilize the moisture in the air, the water supply around and under him or fire a technique directly at him from her higher vantage point. As such, his first priority would be to remove the environmental advantage that she had most definitely acquired by shifting the location of their battle.

While the senbon clashed with his barrier, the Uchiha's nimble fingers flashed to shift between dozens of hand signs within less than two seconds before his palms tapped the surface of water beneath his feet. Almost immediately a small shockwave seemed to reverberate through the air as the waters swirled to heed his call. The water around him burst upwards, obscuring him from Hina's sight as it twisted and turned, more and more water being added to this rapidly growing and rising mass which was coiling more and more, until it assumed a terrifying and serpentine appearance.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

The coils of flowing and roaring water now stood about six meters in the air as a huge dragon was birthed from the river, looming over Hina as it seemed poised to rain down on her with alarming force. But at the head of this dragon emerged something more bizarre, as a small figure blasted out from its watery head. A copy of Densetsu again shot out of the water dragon, straight towards the floating Hina, while the dragon remained stationary, almost as if biding its time to strike.

Meanwhile, the real Densetsu had already made his way sideways to the river bank, where he kept Hina within full range of his view, anticipating her future attacks.

Seeing her surprise attack having no effect on her adversary annoyed Hina greatly, but also worried her. First off, her senbon-sniper shot had failed and Densetsu was simply able to create a mysterious sort of armor to negate the attack. Unfortunately for Hina, she didn't have enough time to analyze the jutsu and so it's properties remained unclear to her. Now Densetsu had revealed the existence of a Barrier Ninjutsu in his defensive arsenal, which he summoned quickly and used to negate her second surprise attack. Thirdly, she had to deal with Densetsu's Sharingan, which alone posed a variety of threats—especially for one such as herself, who possessed no kekkei genkai. To Hina's dismay, the water dragon he had just summoned meant that he was proficient in Water Release ninjutsu: Her only chakra nature. This meant that, not only could he copy her shurikenjutsu movements, but he could also copy her ninjutsu. To top it all off, she didn't possess the chakra, nor chakra control required to perform the water dragon technique, so she feared that this Densetsu character was perhaps even more adept at using her own elemental nature. It was frustrating how gifted he was.

With the intimidating water dragon looming over her, Hina was caught off-guard when what appeared to be Densetsu came blasting towards her from out of the dragon's head. Reacting quickly to the diversion, she slipped the fingers of her free hand under her dress and removed two senbon from the band around her right thigh. In a flash, she threw the senbon right at the clone, striking it twice in the head and causing it to revert to its watery state before falling 20 meters down to the lake below. Meanwhile, the water dragon had taken its opportunity to strike while Hina was preoccupied.

As the water dragon zeroed in on Hina's location, the young kunoichi knew she could remain airborne no longer—she was a sitting duck. Closing her umbrella midair, she began to free-fall to the water below; the water dragon was right on her tail. In an effort to descend safely, she pointed her umbrella at the rocks scaling the side of the cliff, before pressing another button on its handle and firing the actual tip of the umbrella, which revealed itself to be a wired senbon. With a thud made inaudible by the crashing sounds of water, the wired senbon stuck into the rocky wall, allowing Hina to swing at high speed from the summit of the cliff down to the lake below. As she came to the water, she skid upon it's surface in a crescent-shaped arc; her momentum was still pushing her forward horizontally. With another click of the button, the wired senbon retracted, spiraling wildly and dangerously before returning to it's original position within her umbrella. Coming to a stop, Hina stood on the surface of the water. She could see now that the lake was neither deep, nor shallow, but about a depth of 5 meters.

After taking the briefest moment to collect herself, the water dragon swooped down to attack Hina, as it lunged from above in her direction below. Flipping backwards twice, she narrowly dodged the dragon, before it crashed into the surface of the lake. No sooner had Hina landed her second flip did it emerge from the water beneath her, biting the bottom fringe of her dress as it hurled itself into the air. Descending quickly, it slammed into the water surface, carrying Hina down along with it—completely submerging the young kunoichi. As she collided with the water she yelled out in pain, although her voice was muffled by the water surrounding her. Upon breaching the surface of the water, the sheer force of the impact caused the piece of Hina's dress in the dragon's mouth to rip, freeing the disorientated woman from the water-monster's clutches as it carried the fabric away in its teeth. Forcing her eyes to refocus on what was in front of her, Hina could make out the dragon swiftly swimming towards her at alarming speed: This would be its final offense.

Stuck in the water with no surface to push off from, Hina was in a very bad spot. If she tried to swim to the surface, she feared she wouldn't make it in time and the dragon could always change direction. Making a split second decision, she flung a high-velocity, chakra-enhanced senbon above her in the direction of the water surface. Although the projectile was greatly slowed down due to the water, it still moved quite fast and broke the surface of the water, flying 4 meters into the air. Quickly now, Hina weaved the handseals: Ram → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake. Making it just in the nick of time, Hina completed the snake handseal right as the water dragon collided with her at full speed, causing her to disappear, leaving a small senbon behind. With it's chakra all but spent, the water dragon dissipated and joined the mass of formless water that made up the lake.

Meanwhile, Hina appeared where the senbon had previously been: 4 meters up in the air. Landing softly on the watery surface in a crouching position, Hina fell on all fours, panting quickly. Her expensive qipao dress was partially torn, revealing much of her left leg and exposing a portion of the band of senbon that wrapped around her upper-left thigh. Her hair and entire body was drenched and a slight breeze on the water sent chills down her spine. Looking to her right, she noticed her umbrella floating on the water. It was torn, bent, and broken into two pieces—utterly destroyed. Finding her strength, Hina forced herself to stand, raising one leg up after another. Still panting, she looked up to the top of the waterfall where she spotted a tiny Densetsu who had been observing the entire ordeal from afar. While he was standing at the top of the waterfall, dry, warm, and unscathed, she was freezing at the bottom of the lake, utterly soaked and with torn clothes. Upset with his natural talent and chakra giftedness, Hina bit her lip and clenched her fists.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 19:09, November 1, 2020 (UTC)

And of course, Densetsu could see her frustration as well. The Sharingan had been christened as eyes that could see the future, mainly because of the predictive abilities they granted a skilled user, or their ability to magnify the smallest details to the greatest possible degree of clarity.

By maintaining a clear visual field and keeping aware of his surroundings to avoid being baited by clone techniques, he continued to keep Hina firmly within his reach. He could read her movements and prepare adequately, but he almost had a full picture of her capabilities at this point. Hina Hitoame was a brilliant kunoichi with her frightening knack for strategy and deception in battle, despite lacking the raw, uncompromising power that seemed to plague the shinobi world in the modern age. He had no doubt that she would be a formidable commander in Amegakure's arsenal should they ever call upon her services. Densetsu could remember her village's leader Pain, the awe inspiring terror that the Rinnegan wielder had inspired in all was something not easily submerged...it disturbed him that the Akatsuki kingpin had access to so many talented underlings.

He formed a solitary shadow atop the waterfall, the bright sunny day combining with the eerie glow of his red eyes to cast him in a nearly villainous light. The villain watched as his opponent labored, muscles in her neck contracting as her lungs begged for the air necessary to sustain her after her herculean endeavors. Her body gently trembling, her muscles giving off the odd twitch as lactic acid certainly built up in them. To any onlookers, his assaults might have been overkill to say the least, given that his adversary was taking him on with shinobi tools and basic elemental techniques.

A frown crept on Densetsu's face.

He had sprung her traps, danced around her trickery, doggedly hunted after her and purposely fought her on her own turf...all to break her, to give her a taste of her own medicine for all the insults she had hurled his way in the dango shop. But through narrowed eyes and a face squirming in irritation, he saw the delicate girl force herself to stand again.

The broken umbrella and its splinters bobbed in the water around Hina. Densetsu's frown tightened. She was the aggressor, she had demanded the duel, why was he feeling the guilt? His position atop the waterfall to secure the high ground, this dominant posture, the sheer strength of his attack which had forced his opponent into such a hasty retreat...why did all these bother him even more?

"What are you trying to prove, Hina Hitoame?"

Densetsu's voice echoed from atop the waterfall, clear and piercing despite having to combat the thunderous waterfall.

Having heard Densetsu's words boom over the sounds of crashing water, Hina observed him from the bottom of the waterfall; she was planning her next move. Still panting, she took into account his question and muttered quietly to herself, "That you and your village are nothing more than a lousy bunch of privileged, self-indulgent leeches with hero-complexes." Exhaling one controlled breath, Hina prepared to attack. This time, she would be the one pressuring him; this time, she would show him that outstanding chakra and visual prowess weren't everything in the midst of combat.

Reaching for the holster tied to her upper-right arm, Hina removed a slip of paper. If it weren't for the holster's water-resistant material and design, its contents would have been completely soaked and ruined. With the small sheet held in between her index and middle fingers, she stuck her arm out to the side. Forming the seal of confrontation, she released the fūinjutsu seal on the slip of paper and with a puff of smoke, an arm-length, straight-edged Fūma Shuriken appeared in her right hand; the paper she had been holding fell into the water.

With a series of dedicated movements, Hina twirled about—shuriken in hand—before releasing the projectile from her grip, having thrown it like a discus and enhancing it with her chakra. At alarming speed and carrying with it incredible power, the shuriken whizzed upwards, traveling in an arc towards Densetsu. Controlling it with her chakra, she increased its overall speed and bent its trajectory, forcing it to ride with the current of the wind as it reached the summit of the cliff and spiraled in Densetsu's direction, coming from his left flank.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 17:11, November 5, 2020 (UTC)

The buildup between the summoning of the weapon and Hina hurling it at him had given Densetsu enough time to work out a subtle counterattack, as his fingers slipped back out of his weapon pouch, rolling two globes in between his spindly fingers. He had to time this properly, as his muscles twitched and then tensed in response to reading her movements—his eyes' tracking movements focused on Hina even as the Fuma shuriken seared through layers of air towards him at speeds one wouldn't expect the lean kunoichi to be able to muster. His options were increasingly limited, as he could not risk taking his eyes off her for the briefest moment, out of fear of her being given the time to set up a new trap. Instead of recalling another barrier and giving the woman time to decode his arsenal's weak spots, Densetsu decided to again switch up his fighting style and give her the advantage she seemed to seek—eliminating his geographical advantage.

By the time the Fuma shuriken reached his periphery the ground beneath his feet glowed briefly in a brilliant display of orange, red and yellow; as flames propelled him into the air and away from the projectile weapon. But this too would be a litmus test: as the Fuma shuriken continued spinning towards his location. He hadn't been able to see the reflection of the sunlight upon any wire strings, meaning that it was her own skill and chakra that was manipulating this projectile.

The first of the two spheres slipped from his palm downwards just as he completed a graceful midair somersault, and a cloud of smoke again burst into the air, before he launched the other globe through the smoke. Instantly there was an explosion of light, which would seem to blind both opponents in the conventional sense—robbing them of their vision, however the attack was not done. Densetsu could still sense her after all. He did not need his eyes to peer through smoke and blinding light.

Hina would hear the very same sound she had heard when Densetsu had leapt off the cliff to evade her shuriken. The high pitch cackle that seemed to resemble an explosion, but at a much smaller scale. He was after all, using a very limited version of his Fire Release Cloak, merely channeling his Fire Release to boost his own speed instead of coating himself with it. In midair, Densetsu erupted through the smoke, pinpoint chakra control allowing him to redirect his momentum in the air and propel himself towards Hina at terrifying speed; body twisting to a position that made him look like a bullet, close to the surface of the water. His hands began to reach forward, while another burst of flame was expelled from his feet, sending water blasting outwards in the shape of a shockwave with a loud bang. It seemed as though he was finally trying to grab her and attempt to force their duel to a decisive stage.

Because Densetsu had propelled himself across the water at such alarming speed, Hina had little time to react. Crossing her arms in front of her, she braced herself as the young man crashed into her. Simply because of his speed, his attack carried much greater weight than it otherwise would have. Her feet sliding backwards across the surface of the water, Hina was barely able to mitigate the blow, although Densetsu was already well on his way into making his followup attack.

No sooner had Densetsu made contact with Hina's arms did he back-flip off of her before landing quickly on the water and continuing his assault with a series of punches. Recovering from the impact of his collision with her, Hina dodged and blocked his punches, trying to create space between the two of them—she was a mid to long-range fighter, so allowing Densetsu to pressure her up close was not favorable. However, despite her not being an expert in taijutsu, she was far from a novice, and proceeded to form her own counterattacks to his onslaught.

As Densetsu swung at her head, Hina ducked and spun her leg around, sweeping at his feet and hoping to catch him off-guard in order to unbalance him. However, with his trained reflexes and visual prowess, Densetsu was able to jump over her counterattack, before spinning in the air and bringing down a devastating kick aimed at Hina's right shoulder. Unfortunately for him, she narrowly escaped his attack, so his foot crashed into the water. Flipping backwards once, Hina created a small amount of distance between the two of them and began weaving handseals for a water release ninjutsu, but before she could complete the series of seals, Densetsu interrupted her by rushing forward and taking hold of her right hand.

For a whole minute the two battled back and forth, using only taijutsu; Densetsu preferred using his arms, and Hina preferred kicking with her legs. During that time, Densetsu had landed a few hits on Hina, but she had failed to strike him even once. She had tried incorporating more acrobatic, aerial movements into her attacks and defense maneuvers, spinning and flipping while performing highly advanced shurikenjutsu, but Densetsu was able to dodge every senbon, shuriken, and kunai. Every time she tried to weave handseals, he prevented her from doing so. Of course, she wasn't used to fighting an opponent without being able to look at them directly, so the accuracy of her shuriken placement suffered and she wasn't able to land a single one.

Against any other opponent, Hina's aerial shurikenjutsu would've been effective, as she was able to attack with shuriken and senbon at incredibly unorthodox and unpredictable angles, all while spinning and flipping in the air. Unfortunately for her, her opponent was a proficient wielder of the sharingan, so he was able to anticipate each and every one of her attacks. It wasn't long until she had exhausted her stamina with her lower than average chakra reserves and subpar taijutsu; meanwhile, Densetsu showed no signs of fatigue.

Unable to react quick enough due to fatigue, Hina was quite overwhelmed when Densetsu rushed in, enabling him to land one, devastating punch into Hina's gut. As she dropped to her knees in pain, she was powerless to stop him from pinning her arms behind her back and forcing her to her stomach. Struggling in vain, Hina fought against his clutches, but the young man refused to loosen his hold on her.

"It's over," Densetsu remarked coolly, "no more games."

Looking at the struggling girl beneath him, Densetsu saw as she turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye: She was smiling. In an instant, the young kunoichi dissolved into water and returned to the surface they were standing on. It was just as he had predicted: She was a Water Clone.

Just as Hina's clone dissipated, a senbon emerged from the base of the waterfall, striking Densetsu in the back. In an instant, the Densetsu Shadow Clone dissipated in a puff of smoke. Apparently, both parties had relied on their respective clones for their taijutsu engagement. Suddenly, Hina's body began to manifest as it rose up out of the water near the base of the waterfall.

Walking out to where the two clones had just battled, Hina paused and cleared her throat, "You seem to have the tendency of using shadow clones after distractions or diversions. The first time you used one was after you used a smoke bomb. The second time you used one was after your water dragon. The third time you used one was after you used smoke bombs combined with flash bombs. You're quite predictable really. You always use them as a diversion for your attacks after an incredibly obvious distraction. It's a shame that such simple-mindedness is gifted with so much undeserved power."

Concluding her analysis of him and continuing with a detailed explanation the young kunoichi added, "Oh, and just in case your wondering when I made a water clone, when I used the Body Replacement Technique to switch places underwater earlier—when fighting your water dragon—I actually swapped places with a senbon that was stuck to the side of the waterfall cliff from my earlier umbrella attack. Then, I quickly made a clone that swapped places with the senbon above the water dragon, making it seem like the real me was the one who fought your clone. Now I've gathered enough intelligence on your fighting style and taijutsu proficiency to know that I should try to avoid close-quarters engagements with you, for surely you would hold the upper hand, as we clearly saw for ourselves."

Upon concluding her monologue of sorts, Hina reached into the back of the bag tied to her obi sash and removed a small scroll, holding it in her right hand. "Reveal yourself, Densetsu!" she shouted as she grew impatient.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 19:58, November 18, 2020 (UTC)

"Brains and beauty. Bravo," came Densetsu's voice; a series of loud claps came ringing in the air, as Hina would see the real Densetsu upon the river bank, applauding her analysis. His ankles were still in the ground as he seemed to rise from the soil. Carefully he hopped over to a large rock, dusting it as he propped himself upon it and exhaled, finding what comfort he could from the less than home-like excuse for a seat. He rubbed his hands together and rolled his eyes. "You know, if we'd have met in different circumstances and your tongue hadn't been so coarse, I may have considered taking you out for a candle light dinner." She was not amused.

While his demeanor was exaggerated, his calm was not. He deflected Hina's attacks on his patterns of combat with ease, while digesting her analysis of his past tactics. But despite her persistence and stubborn deviousness, Densetsu stopped from retorting with his own analysis of her abilities. Right now he had to prevent Hina from knowing about his abilities as a sensor, as that was keeping him very comfortable, essentially knowing when and where she would set something up against him. Much like him, Hina used clones to bait out her opponent's utility; and to also give herself second chances to prevent a straight up battle and probe for any subtle weakness. It was working well for him that she was abstaining from close range combat, as he was by nature a mid to long range combatant. He would just have to adjust and use this predictability to his advantage...as he had one more good trick to use on her. He had surveyed the terrain too, so he was familiar with the local ground, confident enough to use it well against her.

He decided to probe further, hoping to rile her, an arrogant smirk creeping up on his face. "Offer still stands. You could drop the request for me to kiss your feet and instead, ask me to get you out for dinner."

Shifting her eyes in the direction of Densetsu, Hina's facial expression was that of a most-irritated woman; it was blatantly obvious that she didn't find his snarky comments amusing. As she turned her body to face his, she placed her left hand on her hip and shifted her weight onto her left leg. "This guy really thinks he's all that..." she thought to herself, "I suppose it's to be expected, but does his arrogance truly know no bounds?"

"As if I'd ever actually let to put your disgusting mouth near me!" Hina sharply declared, obviously repulsed by his condescending attitude. "However," she blushed slightly and shut her eyes in embarrassment, commenting sheepishly, "Though I hate to admit it, you Uchiha are quite handsome." A moment of awkward silenced passed between the two before Hina realized what she had really just said. Watching Densetsu grinning with his ever-so-smug face, Hina lost her temper.

"Enough!" she shouted, as she crouched on the surface of the water and vanished in the blink of an eye, appearing upside-down several meters in the air above her prior location. With a wave of her right hand, the scroll she was holding unraveled, revealing a long trail of fūinjutsu markings. Spinning the tail of the scroll around herself, she "danced" midair as she spun and placed her hands on all the different seals, releasing their contents in quick succession. From each seal shot out an Umbrella—some similar to and some different than the one she had carried with her earlier. Several launched themselves high into the sky, while some of the others shot down to the ground.

The umbrellas headed towards the ground had sharp, spear-like spikes which stuck out of their tips. Aimed at Densetsu, the first umbrella whizzed through the air, forcing him to quickly prop himself up, as he dodged the incoming attack. Narrowly avoiding the umbrella, the rock he had been sitting on was completely shattered and utterly destroyed. As each umbrella that was headed downwards attempted to penetrate Densetsu, he dodged them all, causing them to crash into the dirt and rocks of the riverbank. These umbrellas stuck into the ground, so that their tips were embedded in the earth. Densetsu kept dodging them one after the other.

Meanwhile, some of the other umbrellas—which had been launched into the sky—had reached their highest point of elevation. Other, pre-deployed umbrellas had been shot out beneath Hina and rested upside down on the water's surface. Seeing that everything was set, Hina began the next phase of her jutsu.

Configuring her hands and fingers into a single tiger handseal, Hina initiated her jutsu. "Senbon Shower: Hitoame Style!"

In an instant, every umbrella deployed itself through use of Hina's own chakra. The umbrellas in the sky opened wide, casting a shadow down on Hina and Densetsu, and began to gently float in the air. The umbrellas with the spear tips embedded in the shore opened as well. The already-open umbrellas, which floated lightly on the water, began to spin rapidly. Suddenly, from each and every umbrella, senbon were ejected. The senbon fired from all directions, not only zeroing in on Densetsu's general location, but also covering most of the nearby water and shore in a volley of senbon thick enough to resemble that of a locust swarm in the desert. A shadow loomed overhead, as thousands of needles rained from the umbrellas in the sky, shot out from the umbrellas on the shore, and rose from the umbrellas in the water.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 20:52, November 19, 2020 (UTC)

The Leaf on Rainwater

On the bright side, looks like I can fight in the shade, Densetsu thought to himself, as darkness spread over the waterfall. He could tell that Hina had no clones in the immediate vicinity, her chakra signature only emanated from her seals and her floating being. Bending over, he picked up a flat stone about the size of his palm and threw it into the river ahead.

Ever agile, Densetsu nimbly vaulted over another set of large rocks and boulders further behind the shoreline; just as the hail of senbon surged at him, his demon like speed seeming to surpass even that of the chakra guided senbon. He appeared over the rocks a mere second later, only to be hit by a barrage of senbon from the opposite direction—head on. A cloud of smoke quickly accompanied the thuds made by dozens of senbon piercing 'flesh', as a chunk of rock dropped onto the ground where Densetsu had supposedly stood.

The hail of senbon continued to pour down onto his last known location, impaling rock and hard ground, filling the air with metallic screeching and low thuds as the inanimate soil seemed to whine, protesting Hina's relentless assault.

But Hina would have little time to appreciate the trickery that had taken place as a massive plume of smoke blasted forth towards her from her rear, seemingly at the waterfall's base. If one was a sensor type they'd note Densetsu's chakra completely burning through the plume, which spread quickly around the waterfall and around the area Hina had launched her attack. It seemed to be a smokescreen, designed to hide Densetsu and allow him to defend himself from the senbon shower in a way that Hina would not be able to read.

But the technique's true nature was more devious.

It was actually a disguised Genjutsu designed to be inhaled by the opponent in order to paralyze them, which would allow its caster to gain a definitive upper hand, even if it was dispelled quickly. And the longer she spent in the plume, the more control Densetsu would have over her senses. With the plume rising upwards and quickly spreading to encompass their once tranquil arena, Hina would be engulfed in the impediment, unless she acted quickly. But this technique would still allow Densetsu to bypass her stream of guided senbon if she decided to give ground.

He was, of course, underground by the waterfall's base, having used his Earth Release to burrow deep underground from behind the rocks earlier. The senbon were potent, but they couldn't reach the subterranean depths. This also prevented any potential wire string related complications, which Densetsu was most concerned about. He had limited himself to showcasing his Taijutsu and Clone Techniques. And of course, the odd ninjutsu. The only Genjutsu Hina would logically have to worry about were those cast by his Sharingan—as most were advised to worry about in old times when the Uchiha were far more common. As she had called out his usage of clones, Densetsu decided to play her game and delay the use of another clone technique—saving it in case she was able to detect the ruse behind the smokescreen.

Finishing her twirling dance in the air with her scroll still spiraling around her form, Hina's impressive senbon technique came to an end; the water around her was covered with umbrellas and the shore looked like a grey field of steel needles. Much to the young kunoichi's dismay, it appeared that her attack had no effect and she had failed to land even a single senbon out of the thousands she had used. Falling back down to the surface of the water below, she landed gracefully, causing only a slight rippling of the water. Frustrated, she bit her lip; this technique was one of her trump cards—rarely had it ever failed her. It was designed to encompass such a wide area, so escape should be nearly impossible, yet Densetsu not only managed to escape, but he suffered zero injuries in the process of doing so. She hated to admit it, but it was quite the impressive feat.

Preparing for her next encounter, Hina took a deep breath to refocus herself and made to take a step forward when she suddenly realized that she couldn't. Unbeknownst to her, Densetsu's smokescreen had caught up to her from her blind spot and, upon inhaling some of the smoke, it had paralyzed her body. As the smoke moved past her and into her field of vision, Hina continued to struggle against the smoke paralysis, but her body could barely move. Unable to escape the smoke through normal means, she decided to release the chakra concentrated in her feet, causing her to plunge into the water below her; now the smokescreen was above the water where it couldn't reach her. However, after a few moments submerged, she realized that the paralysis effect still hadn't worn off, meaning that the smoke either had a lingering poison, or it was in fact a genjutsu. Seeing that dealing with the possibility of it being a genjutsu was the easier of the two option to try first, Hina concentrated a sizable amount of chakra within herself and released it, immediately freeing her from Densetsu's genjutsu.

No sooner had she expelled the genjutsu was Hina able to move freely again. She hated the fact that she was once again submerged in water (seeing as how she had just finished drying off), but there was little she could do about it now. Swimming away from the location of the smoke, she emerged in a safer area, climbing above the water and kneeling on its surface. Once again, her hair and clothes were dripping wet... and she was freezing.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 12:57, December 6, 2020 (UTC)

It was then that Hina noticed it, a ripple other than that which was generated by her palms as she clamored onto the surface following Densetsu's attack. A malignant one that convinced Hina to raise her head, instinct warning her of impending danger. She had just enough time to roll away as Densetsu blasted in from the sky seemingly; an ominous purple glow emanated from his clenched fingers. As she rolled, the water she had perched on exploded upwards, obscuring her vision yet again; Densetsu sought to take advantage. Hina had just enough time to whip her wrist forward, thrusting a lone senbon into the cascading water in front of her, just as Densetsu's silhouette emerged from within, hurtling again towards her.

Even with his own vision obscured by the consequence of his attack, it seemed that Densetsu's reflexes had again allowed him to overcome Hina's quick thinking; as he arched his neck to the left, allowing the projectile to whiz past his taut neck harmlessly, his extended knife hand sailing forward unchallenged in the havoc, striking Hina's exposed solar plexus.

Densetsu realized he had been fooled when she didn't flinch, understanding exactly why she had been so quick to blind fire the senbon, but he was too late. Before 'Hina' had puffed away into a cloud of smoke, his polished intuition allowed him to quickly turn to face his back: as his right hand gripped the top of his own head, protecting the side of his face and his neck, biceps contracting to help soften the inevitable blow, as his body tightened and bent low, left hand pressing to his blocking right to enforce it.

Hina was already there, as her outstretched shin barreled into Densetsu's right forearm, momentum generated by her shift and the torsion of her body ensuring that he was adequately punished for not being able to contract his muscles properly on time. Densetsu winced as the impact sent a jolt of pain upwards, his shoulder buckling for being unable to prepare for that kick on time. But as Densetsu's guard lowered ever so slightly in response to the throbbing pain, Hina failed to relent.

She pressed her assault with almost reckless abandon, as though their initial exchange of taijutsu meant nothing—a growing sign of her desperation. As cold water rained down on the duo, she reached forward, slender fingers turning into talons almost as they clawed into Densetsu's scarred forearm, yanking him forward as he attempted to back away to create space.

Densetsu grimaced as he was pulled forward, a lack of balance finally compromising the graceful stance he had maintained throughout, as finally, he realized; Hina was forcing an opening after exploiting his own eagerness to end the fight.

As he staggered forward, Densetsu had only the briefest second to bring his free arm in front of his face, protecting his nose from a pale and slender white knee, as it hit his block with a crunch and the young kunoichi flipped backwards with one fluid motion. But before Hina could launch another quick attack at him, Densetsu wrestled his arm away from her grip, freeing himself and rocking her enough to stop her from launching yet another kick. He got low, raising both his arms as he got into a boxing stance, with his palms open instead of forming fists; in that instant, he took the fight to her. He jabbed his right palm into her left shoulder, where her supporting foot was, forcing her back and upsetting her balance as he quickly darted to her right. Swaying left and right to force her to follow his erratic movements, he faked a low attack before pushing forward when she reacted to guard against the fake.

It was now Densetsu's turn to grab her by the forearm, as he quickly navigated his other hand to clasp the back of her shoulder, as he whirled to her side and tripped her, using her own momentum against her as he brought her crashing onto the water with a small splash; as she had been able to distribute her chakra just on time to avoid getting plunged into the water again. This gave Hina a crucial foothold as her hands emerged at her sides, preventing her from landing on her back after the trip.

Yet Hina had smelled blood and the young woman's newly landed hits had filled her with incredible confidence.

Upon being nearly floored, her leg stuck out, landing the strike on Densetsu's knee and forcing his to stagger, before dropping onto his afflicted knee. Before he could again put distance between them, she propelled herself at him with a shrill cry, channeling chakra to her feet to surge towards him in midair, rotating to launch an axe kick onto his skull.

Densetsu leaned to the left, as the kick was brought down onto the water under him. Hina twisted to meet him. But experience had taught Densetsu a useful trick, as he danced around her again, forcing another rotation from her to keep him within her reach. But he had now forced her to navigate directly with the sun beating down on her face, behind him. The glare interrupted Hina's momentum, yet again she attempted to pummel the Uchiha, as she let out three quick jabs.

He met them head on, bobbing backwards to dodge the quick first two, then launching his outstretched palm and patting her third jab downwards. Hina learned quickly, twisting another time to get the sun out of her face before preparing a left hook, seeking to confuse Densetsu with a baiting movement; but he had set up his own attack well. Two of his fingers whipped forward like a viper as she moved, bypassing her incoming hook to strike her right above her collarbone. Hina winced in pain as a muffled screech escaped from her clenched teeth, but now Densetsu followed up, his second strike was a fist, ramming into the same area, as the impact shook her entire right shoulder, neck and arm, forcing her to sway backwards. Densetsu saw the opening, moving in for a third strike, this time with a knuckle hand that seemed destined for the side of her neck, but Hina had reeled him in with this subtle feint. Taking advantage of his proximity whipped her left hand in a downward arc, bypassing the watchful gaze of his Sharingan in the havoc as his own attack seemed to have limited his field of vision.

Her fingernails clawed into Densetsu's cheek, forcing him to turn away as his flesh split open, three streaks of white across his gaunt cheekbones as they quickly crimsoned. But she was not done. Before he could get those pesky eyes of his back into the fray, she leaped ahead, allowing her legs to scissor Densetsu's leading right foot, pulling both her legs in opposite directions, felling the young Konoha-nin as she landed on her sides, pulling him forward.

The shock on his face was visible as he lurched forward and fell on top of her body, squirming quickly as his fingers fumbled over places he knew he wasn't supposed to in his mad attempts to get off her, but Hina Hitoame's sleeve held the cards now. Unabashed unlike the boy on top of her, she rolled to her side, as Densetsu attempted to roll away, mind set on exploiting his hesitation as slender and toned legs snapped open around the Uchiha's exposed neck as he rose, right leg wrapping around the side of his neck and left leg locking onto the ankle of the right. She tried to grab him in a classic triangle choke, and brought her hips up with a violent thrust.

He was forced to yield to her will.

Densetsu barely had enough time to gasp for air as he felt the pressure of the grapple compress his blood vessels, stinging his eyes and making the arteries in his temples throb. But through the corner of his eyes he saw Hina's hands rise, one hand gripping her ankle to increase the pressure on his neck, while the other hand rose behind her own head, three senbon sticking out between the her fingers, through a clenched fist.

She would jab those into him immediately, he realized, while she had him locked down, unless he did something quickly. All the muscles in the arm which held the senbon tensed and twitched under the water droplets lining her smooth skin. But as she was about to lock the choke and cut off the blood supply to his brain, Densetsu postured up quickly, pumping the full strength within his legs to shoot up as high as possible, making it impossible for Hina to complete the lock and fully initiate the choke. The fist full of senbon came flying at him, but he used his right hand to swat at it wildly with an accompanying surge of chakra, knocking the three projectiles into the waters beside them as his other hand pressed upon her lower abdomen; joined quickly by the right hand. Together they pushed downwards in a fluid motion, allowing Densetsu an early escape from the incoming triangle lock, propping himself upright and putting space between himself and Hina.

He gasped quickly and erratically, greedily sucking in the oxygen from the humid air as Hina coiled up, also breathing heavily; her expensive qipao completely soaked by the water and stained with sand and soil. Densetsu watched her reach beside her, realizing that one of the umbrellas was right beside her. His palms flickered together, the hand signs coming in; but Hina jumped at him again—in her hand was a sword which had been the handle of that particular umbrella. Densetsu ducked to his left as he now evaded the edge of the shining katana, wielded by Hina, as she swiped again for a follow through. Again, this missed Densetsu's shoulder as he nimbly sidestepped to his right. Reversing her grip to a most unorthodox one, Hina now slashed doggedly, left and right, right then left, upwards with a feint than towards the right; but Densetsu moved to counter each one perfectly, his Sharingan allowing him to quickly adapt as he guided their battle to the shore, with Hina pressing the assault, refusing to give him space despite having her attacks read. Judging by her kenjutsu skills, he could tell she wasn't an expert at using swords, but like most Jonin, her abilities in its use were still adept enough to contend in a fight.

Densetsu understood her logic and she understood his. Hina would try to prevent Densetsu from getting too far from her, where his Sharingan could read the movement of all her muscles and where he would again utilize misdirection and ninjutsu to force her to expend even more energy. Densetsu could see it. And she knew he was trying to goad her into over-committing either with ninjutsu or taijutsu, so that he would be able to capitalize and then shut the fight down in one quick move. If she was careless with her bukijutsu, she knew he was waiting to pounce and force an opening; but she decided to throw caution to the wind. This brutal, upfront method coupled with non-linear feints and arcing movements would render her fighting style less predictable to his Sharingan, which thrived on following linear movements. With a series of spins and aerial twirls, Hina danced across the water as she pressured Densetsu, pushing him further and further back.

Reaching the shore, metal clashed finally with metal, as a spring loaded mechanism on Densetsu's wrist allowed him to push a kunai into his palm. Sparks clashed as Hina furiously drove at Densetsu; her wide stance and aggressive footwork scattering pebbles across the riverbank in all directions, as the clang of metal pounded against the roaring waterfall behind. Densetsu responded by repeatedly parrying her sword, seeking to get at her from a blind spot where he could disarm her.

Again seeing him charge at her, her teeth sank into her lips in frustration. Rage even. He was fighting all along to disarm, not even hurt. How much some had been blessed, with wild abilities while she had always had it as an uphill climb, where there were no luxuries such as mercy, where it was kill or be killed. Hina's world was a cold, desolate place; free of such concepts. Yet it seemed like this Leaf Uchiha had been blessed with it all.

Her dislike bubbled to the surface as her voice turned gruff with desperation, eager to break his guard, to shatter that arrogant smug grin of his with the hilt of her sword and bring his face to her feet as she had threatened to at the Dango shop. That seemed to have been an eternity ago by now.

Hina dove to the right, twirling her blade like a windmill as she made a feint for Densetsu's neck only to drive the blade downwards as she twisted to his right. She aimed for the tendon behind his thighs, but the Uchiha was quicker to react, pirouetting with grace that a stage performer would envy; her attack hitting air where an exposed thigh had been planted microseconds before.

Both combatants paused a moment, panting as they eyed each other. The midday sun was scorching now, bathing them in warmth which was excessive, exacerbating her fatigue and gradually wearing down on Densetsu's smarting shoulder and cheek. Seeing the irritated glint in Hina's eye, the same irritating smirk drew across Densetsu's face, as he turned a question Hina's way, his Sharingan spinning.

Hina's lips parted to reveal gnashing, gritted teeth when she heard it.

"You're awfully soaked. Why don't you take a moment and sunbathe? I won't peek, pinky swear."

She charged.

What seemed to be a thrust to his thigh was actually a clever feint, as Hina changed her direction midway, turning and converting her thrust to a swing, which would bring her behind Densetsu -

But he disappeared from her vision. The sword did too, as she felt her arm suddenly move against her own will, being directed at an awkward angle which forced her wrist to open up reflexively. When she turned behind, she saw Densetsu holding the blade up in front of her.

"Hina Hitoame-san, what are you going to do with all that anger?"

Hina was boiling, but the look on his face wasn't that of mockery. More of confusion. It wasn't even concealed. Hina's lower eyelid twitched as she slowly lifted her palm and looked at it. It was red, where the hilt of the katana had imprinted itself on her flesh, as Densetsu had managed to yank it away during his shift.

"So I'm soaked am I?"

Hina smiled menacingly as she slowly walked towards him, her voice oddly cheerful as she replied to his initial taunt. Densetsu didn't move a single muscle, the blazing Sharingan analyzing her every move as she stepped closer and closer. And she knew that. "Then how's this for drying up?"

She whipped her neck violently, as Densetsu straightened up to guard; but the nature of the technique caught him off guard. The water droplets from her hair shot out towards him, but Densetsu realized at the last minute, as the rays of sunlight danced and bent around each individual droplet—that these weren't mere droplets of water.

Water Release: Water Senbon, came the voice in Hina's head as multiple tiny, sharpened droplets pelted Densetsu even as he burst off into his right. As he re-materialized, Hina could see that his right arm had taken a beating. Streaks of red were now painted across his arm as blood dripped from it, while his shirt had blotches of tiny, redness spreading on them. She smirked. The attack had worked.

Densetsu sighed and shook his head, scratching the back of his head as he dropped the katana onto the pebbles under his feet. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"

Hina stared back at him. She gracefully threw her hair back, as it spread freely in the wind for awhile before gracefully settling behind her back, flaunting the fact that she had completely dried her hair. By now, her dress was practically dry as well, from all the moving and whatnot.

"There's more of that anger where it came from, you Konoha dog. Be a good boy, come here right now and maybe I'll settle for a foot massage instead of a humiliating kiss. Do that and I might just let you off the hook."

"Hmph," Densetsu snorted, evidently displeased by her repetition of the insult she hurled at him in the Dango shop. "I told you, if you really want my tongue on your body, ask politely. If a massage is all you want, all you have to do is say the magic words."

Hina trembled ever so slightly as he again mocked her. Her fists again clenched.

To Hina, Densetsu's tendency to crack suggestive jokes infuriated her. He really thought he was all that. Never in a mission years would a naked mole rat like him ever even have the slightest chance with someone like her. Of course, under normal circumstances, she'd assume he'd only be joking around, but part of her felt like he was half serious in his comments.

It made her even more mad.

"You should learn to keep your trap shut!" Hina shouted, as she manifested several water senbon in between her fingers. "Dogs like you need to learn their place!" she cried as she scattered the razor-thin needles in his direction.

Even with his sharingan, the water senbon were difficult for Densetsu to see. Not only were they incredibly thin and fast, but because they were made of water and were thus a clear liquid, they were mostly transparent. It's no wonder the attack had struck him before—it was simply difficult to perceive, especially when there was more than a single needle. However, Densetsu's eyes were strong and powerful—his reflexes, just as noteworthy: He would not be making the same mistake as last time.

Dodging Hina's attack with little difficulty, Densetsu avoided sustaining injury as the water senbon missed and splashed onto nearby surfaces, forming puddles on the ground. If this was all she had left, than the battle was pretty much won. Unbeknownst to him, he was right where she wanted him.

"Water Release: Needle Rain!" Hina exclaimed. Catching Densetsu off-guard, the small puddles of water formed from Hina's earlier water senbon had formed back into needles and had shot up at Densetsu from the ground. It was a surprise attack befitting a kunoichi from the Hidden Rain. Seeing as how the puddles had been created all around him earlier, Densetsu knew there were senbon hiding in his blind spots, but the exact location of each needle visually alluded him. However, unbeknownst to Hina, his sensory capabilities enabled him to feel the chakra-infused water around him and, as the needles simultaneously whizzed around him, he effortlessly twirled midair, successfully avoiding contact with any of them. Shocked by Densetsu's quick reactions and ability to perceive her surprise attack, Hina's eyes widened—he shouldn't have been able to dodge her needles so effortlessly and without injury.

"Nice try, but I won't be falling for anymore of your water gimmicks," Densetsu challenged her as he rushed forward, intent on drawing out more of her jutsu. Kunai in hand, he lunged at her, but she dodged backwards with a series of flips and airborne twirls which sent several metal senbon and shuriken headed in his direction. Dodging and deflecting the projectiles, he continued to close the gap. Her fighting style was elegant, with its acrobatic, aerial maneuvers, but he could tell that she was grasping at straws: This battle would soon be coming to a close.

Reaching into her paper slip pouch, Hina retrieved three individual pieces of paper. Crouching low to the ground and then disappearing, Hina reappeared upside-down above Densetsu. Upon releasing the seal on the first slip of paper, several swords came flying towards Densetsu, embedding themselves in the ground around him, trapping him within their circumference like a bladed cage. Landing on the opposite side of Densestu, Hina twirled her body as she released the seal on the second slip of paper, which sprung out a dozen shuriken with wire strings attached. In a flash, the shuriken spun around the bladed cage several times, tightening the cage with each successive loop, tightening the radius of the cage and squeezing against Densetsu; her goal was to mince him to pieces. However, Densetsu had plans of his own and before the blades could press against his skin, he slipped underground, narrowly avoiding certain death as the blades were pulled to the center where he had been standing just moments ago.

Quickly popping back up from the ground, Densetsu aimed to take the fight to Hina again, but no sooner had he appeared, did the young kunoichi release the seal on her third piece of paper. From the seal, another umbrella sprung out into the air. With one fluid motion, Hina flipped in place, so that the heel of her foot struck the base of the umbrella, sending it flying in Densetsu's direction. Dodging the umbrella with ease, Densetsu watched as the ninja tool narrowing whizzed past his right cheek; if the tip of the umbrella had made contact, he would've been a dead man. However, something seemed off. His Sharingan, as keen as ever, saw something glistening in the sun.

Trailing from the end of the umbrella handle was a nearly invisible wire string, the end of which Hina held in her hand. Just as the umbrella embedded itself in the sand behind Densetsu, Hina pulled the string, causing the umbrella to open up and fire a volley of senbon straight into Densetsu's back. Hina, not wanting to be hit by her stray needles, dodged out of the way, but most of the barrage had struck the konoha-nin in the back.

"Too easy," Hina thought, as what appeared to be Densetsu's lifeless form transformed into nothing more than just a log. "He never would have fallen for that gimmick," she muttered to herself aloud, fully prepared for a counterattack. Hearing the sound of several kunai ripping through the air, Hina sprung up, dodging each projectile in a flurry of fluid motions. Running to grab her rigged umbrella, she dodged and deflected the kunai one by one. Grabbing the handle of her familiar weapon, she turned to intercept Densetsu, who—kunai in hand—was attacking her from behind up.

Pressing a button on her umbrella handle, the ninja tool suddenly opened up, pushing Densetsu back and blocking his field of view. Twirling, Hina pulled a blade out from the umbrella's handle and drove it through the umbrella itself, in the hopes of catching Densetsu off-guard. Ordinarily, a shinobi would have great difficulty reacting to the sword protruding from a random location through the umbrella, but the moment the blade pierced the fabric, Densetsu's sharp eyes had already detected the blade's trajectory.

Slamming the umbrella and sword into the sand at their feet, Densetsu pressured her, swiping at her with his kunai, if only to create space and force her back; he didn't like how dangerous her elaborate tricks were. Flipping backwards several times, Hina Landed gently on the surface of the lake. She then launched yet another attack at Densetsu, who was still on the shore. "Water Release: Needle Rain!" she projected, as an onslaught of water senbon shot out from the lake itself and rained down on the shore from the sky. Feeling the chakra drain from her reserves, Hina could tell that this was likely the last significant jutsu she could manifest. Her chakra was nearly all spent and she had grown increasingly tired. Pouring her desire for victory into this jutsu, she rained several hundred, razor-thin water needles down on the shore and around her, hoping they'd pierce Densetsu whilst also protecting herself from him.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 00:05, December 24, 2020 (UTC)

Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.

The ground heeded Densetsu's call, rising after he completed the blurry movements of his hands. An oval shaped, toughened wall of earth hissed upwards, covering Densetsu from the front, sides and top, leaving only a space behind; where Densetsu expected a counter attack to be likely, if she were to manipulate any of the senbon independently, or swing behind to corner him in his own wall and pummel him. From his new position he could now watch the two main avenues of attack: the ground below, and the opening of the wall. Whistles and crunches were heard as water projectiles slammed into the sandy bank, or thuds as they bounced off pebbles, rocks and the wall itself. With this small opening, he could see the range of her attack, or the range she wanted him to see. Still, information was valued, however little or inconsequential in the short term.

Wincing as he nursed his right arm, Densetsu gathered two more tools from his pouch; a kunai and a smokebomb, twirling the kunai into his left hand before allowing his fingers to tighten around it in a backhand grip.

With the senbon still thundering onto his surroundings, Densetsu moved quickly within his earthen igloo to reposition before a potentially deadly counterattack, sinking into the ground below, moving deep under as he prepared for his next attack.

Further away from both the earthen dome and the lake Hina stood over and closer to the surrounding forests, a lone kunai popped out of the soil and into the air; detonating with a bright flash as it bathed the surroundings in bright light. Densetsu utilized the distraction to dart out of the ground; taking his place among the treetops, taking the high ground and eyeing an opening to strike.

Standing on the surface of the lake's water, Hina's eyes darted towards the direction of the bright light. Quickly, she rushed over to Densetsu's earthen igloo in order to confirm her suspicions. As she had thought: the young man was nowhere to be seen. Looking back towards the direction of the flashbomb which had occurred just moments ago, she thought she caught a glimpse of a figure disappearing into the forest. Tired as she was, Hina still had a few tricks left up her sleeve and she refused to let the bastard escape after everything he'd put her through. Without a second thought, the persistent kunoichi entered the forest with the goal of setting a trap to catch the Konoha coward.

Moving through the forest, Hina paid close attention to her sense of sight, hearing, and smell. She needed to be the one to surprise him—not the other way around. Heading in the direction where she last saw Densetsu, she began to formulate her plan. First, she'd have to set her trap, then she'd have to lure him to its location. Finally, she'd have to spring the trap—all the while ensuring that it avoided Densetsu's detection. "Easier said than done," she thought to herself, "and against an opponent with the sharingan, it won't be easy."

But it was possible.

Careful not to make a sound as she jumped through the trees, she listened and listened, waiting for Densetsu to make a mistake.

Snap

Nearby, Hina heard the faint sound of a twig being snapped—Densetsu was close by. Stopping for a brief moment to observe her surroundings, Hina focused her attention in the direction she had heard the twig snap. Only moments later did her eyes catch a rustling of tree leaves a few dozen meters ahead of her. From the looks of it, Densetsu hadn't picked up on her location yet, so she had the advantage. Carefully, she zeroed in on Densetsu's location, spotting a drops of blood on tree leaves; no doubt, thse were the result of her earlier jutsu. Finally, she was trailing only 17 meters behind him, right on his tail. She didn't want to alert him of her presence, but doubted she could remain undetected for much longer. She would have to be quick.

Reaching into the satchel attached to the back of her obi, Hina felt for the left side of the bag, looking for a special set of ninja tools. Finding them, she withdrew four kunai, each with Wire Strings looped through their back ends and connected to one another somewhere along the meters of wire-length. Looking around, she began to throw them at the desired locations—this was the first stage of the trap.

Of course, Hina knew that the sounds of her kunai would be detected by Densetsu, but she was prepared for what was ahead.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 18:38, January 5, 2021 (UTC)

The kunai caught Hina's peripheral vision as it reflected a stray beam of sunlight at her, allowing the kunoichi to whirl away from Densetsu's kunai fired atop the branches. But that brief giveaway had been just enough for her, as her own kunai appeared within her fingers amid the smallest puff of smoke, summoned into existence before being sent sailing into the air towards Densetsu's revealed location. As he dodged, the leaves rattled and shook, dropping to the ground beneath as Hina kept up her assault; moving herself deftly to keep him within view.

Another kunai sailed at her from atop the canopy, which she countered head on by firing one of her own. Both kunai collided in midair, but Hina was quick to apply her mastery of bukijutsu, her fingers working in a mad dance as she threw one of her kunai in rapid succession, hitting the one that was still midair and sending it flying towards him.

Densetsu propelled himself sideways, tilting his neck just in time to avoid being grazed by her deflected kunai. He landed, hand whipping another kunai from his pouch, but she had spotted him; forcing Densetsu to somersault backwards and onto a different tree as three senbon flew over his previous location. Having repositioned, he fired off a senbon of his own, then another, followed by another; forcing Hina to first twirl and then back-flip twice, as her own agility seemed to trump fatigue, the vigor of battle taking over her tired and achy body as she performed a series of gymnastic maneuvers to reposition and counter Densetsu—to force him to change positions and to keep him uncomfortable enough, so that he wouldn't be able to effectively weave hand signs. The deadly dance continued, as Densetsu swung himself around a tree and flipped onto the earth below to avoid another series of senbon, one which was rigged with an explosive tag.

He had to dash away to the right to avoid a falling branch as she detonated the tags. Another senbon flew towards him, but he swatted it aside with a kunai he held. The device harmlessly lodged itself into a tree, but a shadow moved behind Densetsu; forcing him to again sway away to react, dodging a high kick by Hina from his blind-spot.

A clone, he thought, assessing that she had purposely baited him in to exploit his exposed back; as he twisted again, evading this copy of Hina's punch before tripping her. The clone burst into water; but that was when Densetsu finally spotted the trick as sunlight trickled through the holes in the forest roof, casting light on dozens of lines of wire around them, as the metal strings glowed ominously.

Densetsu's red eyes seemed to widen as he stepped back; before a high pitched screech was heard and wires snapped to life upon detecting the release of pressure made by his heel. The elaborate trap she had laid was sprung, as three loud explosions thundered around Densetsu, reducing the barks of the trees around him to dust; wires snapping around him as the rigged senbon and kunai that she had been flinging came to life; suspending Densetsu in midair and tightening around his throat, chest, arms and legs, keeping his joints locked as they tightened.

Hina stepped forward through the smoke, a grin plastered on her face as she savored her now inevitable victory.

Left hand on her hip and Tantō in-hand, Hina confidentially stood before the entangled Densetsu, sizing him up now that he was powerless before her. Flipping the tantō in her right hand and catching it, the young kunoichi taunted her adversary, basking in the glory of her accomplishment: This victory was hers.

"You know, Mr. Densetsu," she started, "the shinobi world is ruled by people like you; men gifted with extraordinary power who come from prestigious families and privileged villages. You pigs think the world belongs to you, that somehow you own it. You pigs feel that you are somehow entitled to determine the fate of everyone else who lives on this world. You pigs think you can splash around in the mud and create a mess for everyone else to have to clean up. Well, right now, all I see before me is privileged, pig in a blanket of my wire strings, hovering three feet off the ground like a ham over a holiday fire." Left hand still on her hip, she flipped the tantō in her right hand again before shifting her weight to her right leg.

Struggling against his wire bindings, Densetsu adamantly protested. "True as it may be, that my village has done terrible things to yours, you cannot deny that the Hidden Leaf has attempted to right the wrongs of the past. That we've intervened in times of crisis and lent a helping hand-"

"You're delusional," Hina interrupted him. "So, there's a mess on the floor and your village brings a dirty mop to clean up the mess. But you know what? All you and your village do is spread the mess around, so that it covers a larger area. You're not fixing the problems; you're not solving the problems. You're just redistributing the mess, creating a thinner layer of filth across a wider area; every area, but yours." As the young woman passionately spoke, reiterating the same points over and over again, her tantō waved about in the air, occasionally pointing at Densetsu, and sometimes towards the floor. It's erratic movements communicated her frustrations. "And," she started again, "just as you were delusional about your village's righteousness, you also underestimated me: A woman with little chakra, no magical, emo eyeballs, and no impressive jutsu; someone you think is a total joke. Yet look at the reality of your pitiful situation. Here I stand, and there you swing."

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 02:07, January 9, 2021 (UTC)

"Here I stand and there you swing," came the reply from the swinging Densetsu, oddly calm and devoid of the emotion he had displayed earlier. Hina's eyelids wrinkled in annoyance, detecting another oddly grandiose claim from her subjugated opponent. Yet those eyelids then widened as she began to feel isolated pressure around her neck, her chest, her arms and her thighs, while a certain numbness began to affect her torso. In horror she watched as the entire forest seemed to flip, front going behind, left going to the right, orientation of trees changing and direction of the sunlight suddenly inverting. The wire strings that had bound Densetsu in place seemed to uncoil as he floated to the ground, and Hina immediately knew what happened.

He had never been captured in her traps. She had laid them, sprung them, fallen for them and then been captured by them. She had fallen into her own trap.

The tomoe of his eyes spun and spun, the eerie redness glowing and almost overpowering her most basic instincts as she seemed to float upwards. And then there seemed to be a violent tremor around her, as reality punched through the illusion, and Hina found herself suspended in midair; qipao tormented by her own wire strings which held her firmly in the air, as she struggled against them.

Densetsu exhaled softly and looked away, as his Sharingan disappeared at his will. He was done with his fight, and he didn't have to proclaim it to the angered Hina for her to understand. Of course, Densetsu knew she would possibly be able to break out of her own trap in some time, but even if she came after him, he had decided he would no longer fight.

"A pig in a blanket eh," Densetsu said as he stepped forward, stopping a few meters away from where she swayed in her strings. He didn't expect her to understand the things he had experienced, his one year in the ANBU, the five years waging an endless war against the gangs, organizations, missing-nin and S-ranks that plagued their world. At the start of their battle it had irked him greatly that she constantly spat on him as well as Konoha, but now, he realized it was always the same. Grudges and vendettas still plagued their world, and the remnants of past wars and conflicts would always serve as embers for the wildfires yet to rage.

The earth beside him seemed to vibrate a little as another copy of him emerged from the ground below, rising up before standing beside him. "Since you seem to believe I've underestimated you even now, I'll let you into a secret. I've kept this clone underground from the very start of our battle, traveling around me and around you. That's how I've been able to keep track of almost all your movements."

His sensory abilities took concentration, after all. Much like how gathering Senjutsu required the user to be still, Densetsu's own sensory abilities required him to concentrate instead of freely move and fight; something which would have been suicidal in direct battle. By dedicating a clone for the purpose of sensing alone, he had been able to devote himself wholly to the battle, with knowledge of Hina's movements even when blinded or robbed of other senses.

The clone poofed away into thin air.

"Let me come clear on the record then," he continued, "I of all people know of Konoha's warmongering past. I've seen what it has done to people and how the events decades ago have shaped the problems of today. And I won't hide for it. But to hold on to those evils and refuse to move past them, to refuse to even accept attempts to rectify those. Unacceptable."

He finally looked at her again, taking in the rage in those eyes. "Maybe you truly believe that I'm evil and pampered by unseen comforts. Maybe you just force yourself to believe it because the alternative would crush everything you've been taught to believe, but I've seen how everything can change. How this whole world can change for the better. Five enemies uniting to defeat an unparalleled threat in the war just months ago," he said, pride emerging where emotionlessness had reigned, "if they could work together, everyone can. We can all build a better world, Hina Hitoame."

"And maybe it won't be today, or tomorrow, but one day the villages won't bring their wars into the homes of others. Maybe in this new world, another child doesn't have to see and feel the same sorrow you felt, if we're willing to give it a chance," he reasoned, his thoughts going back to the people he had saved in the past, the people he had failed to save, enemies redeemed and those too far flung into the path of unyielding evil. He thought only of those who had put their faith in that new world, the ones who still fought by his side and those who had died by his side. Densetsu's faith in the world wasn't built by idealistic speeches, but by what he had seen. In the world he was fighting to build, children wouldn't have to know endless wars, conscription to ANBU hit squads and see their young friends die. All the deaths in the Fourth War had further served to strengthen that resolve.

As she hovered several feet in the air, Hina could barely process what had just occurred, and she cared not for Densetsu's idealistic, sugar-coated words. In shock, a panicked expression began to spread across her face. No! She had trapped him! When—how—did he trick her? How was this happening? This couldn't be happening! She executed her plan flawlessly—she used all the tricks she had up her sleeve! In despair, tears began to well in her eyes, as she frantically shook her head and squirmed about.

Desperate to escape—simply unable to accept defeat—Hina struggled midair against her own, failed, Manipulated Shuriken Wire Binding. Her arms were boxtied behind her back and her thighs were bound together as well. Her ankles were also tied together, with some of the wire strings looping around the heel breast of her sandals; feet pulled back over her thighs, so that the soles of her sandals were facing the back of her head, the wired strings forced her into a strict, suspended hogtie. Uncomfortable as it was, wire strings bound her torso securely, tying everything in place and limiting her movement even more; an intricate, hishi karada harness wrapped itself tightly around and across her body, detailing her figure with beautiful, diamond-shaped patterns, and causing her breasts to protrude outwards, as well as forcing her back to slightly arch backwards. To Hina's dismay, a thick cable of wire strings found itself tightly secured in-between her legs—any movement or struggling on her part immediately resulted in that cable grinding against her inguinal canal, causing great discomfort, embarrassment, and shameful sensations. A final, more dangerous feature, wire strings wrapped around her neck, pulling her head back and up a bit and restricting her air flow. It wasn't enough to kill her, but she felt as though she were suffocating; it was one of her best interrogation techniques—ultimately nonlethal (unless the victim could no longer keep their head up), but enough to slightly asphyxiate her victims. Never in a million years did she expect to get a taste of her own medicine.

Continuing to struggle against her own self-wrought predicament, Hina blushed deeply at the sight of Densetsu watching her. It was humiliating! "H-How did you d-do it?" she questioned him, "W-when!" The wires around her neck and chest made speaking difficult, but she needed to know. As she struggled and spoke, the wire strings creaked and screeched, digging into her clothes and skin. In certain areas, her dress ripped and the seams split—a testament to just how tight the bindings were. Unyielding and unrelenting, they refused to let their mistress go. "H-How could this h-happen? W-Why wasn't I s-strong enough?" Hina cried, as Densetsu saw a frustrated tear trail down her cheek. Whether the tear was from sheer physical pain due to the wire strings, overwhelming embarrassment, or the crushing reality of defeat, Densetsu could not tell. Perhaps it was all three.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 12:18, January 10, 2021 (UTC)

Densetsu eyed her with a raised brow, waiting for her to stop squirming before answering her question. "You looked directly into my eyes exactly twice in our bout," he explained, as he ran a finger across the three gashes on his cheek. Warm blood trickled down the side of his face, as he rolled the viscous red liquid in his fingers with a slight frown. "Once, when you had prepared to break my Genjutsu. The next, when I burst through my smoke bombs and charged at you, while you fired projectiles at me from an off angle."

He pulled his bloodied t-shirt forward, peeking within his clothes to survey the full extent of the damage her water senbon had caused. His dodge had helped him escape a bulk of the damage, but the projectiles had still sheared through his flesh. They were shallower around his chest, with only minor lacerations and blotches of torn skin; but the injuries to his shoulder were more severe. The senbon had completely torn his shirt above the bicep, and the flesh over his deltoid had been cut open. Now he scowled openly. That would need stitches and before that the most dreaded part: a stinging wash to clear the debris and bacteria festering on the flesh. It would sting.

Having ascertained that he emerged the most bruised out of their encounter he sighed, before continuing. "Even for the briefest second there, it was enough. I implanted an illusion into you. A simple one really, which I could activate at any given time. Something which would distort your reality and sense of perspective; and allow me to make eye contact with you without you noticing, at any point I activated it. You were setting a trap for me, but you sprung it on yourself. When you tracked me in here and fought me, your blunted perception allowed me to plant another genjutsu in you while we fought and thus, you sprung your own trap."

He sat himself on a thick root and panted, finally being allowed to catch his breath. "I'm done with this fight."

As Densetsu lectured her about his genjutsu, Hina could barely come to terms with her defeat. "I-It's because of your d-damned sharingan!" she lashed out at him. "It's because of those...t-those cursed eyes! That annoying g-gift!" She coughed as she struggled and gasped for air. She squirmed about determinedly. She wanted to hit him—to hurt him; she wanted her hands around his neck—she wanted him to pay. "You and your s-tupid village!" she cried. "You and your...y-your—I hate you!" she screamed. "I hate you! I hate you! I-" She coughed again as she choked and convulsed.

Hina no longer had the same temperament of the quiet woman Densetsu had originally met. Though still oddly beautiful in her anger, she acted as though she were nothing more than a barking dog. With a disturbing amount of Killing Intent, she screamed and cursed at it him, wildly thrashing her bound and suspended body about, and spewing horrific insults; she wanted so bad, to kill him—to end his pathetic life and to trample on his hopes and dreams. She wanted to prove that she was right, and that he was wrong. She wanted to fight more—to prove herself to someone like him. She continued to curse at him, to struggle in vain against her predicament, and to scream at him for all he and his people had done to girls like her. It wasn't fair. The world just wasn't fair.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 15:23, January 24, 2021 (UTC)

Densetsu remained seated on the root, unmoved by her anger and venom pumped insults. She spat and cursed, screeched and shrieked, yet he kept still, oddly relaxed. "Must be some gift huh, if 90% of the people from my village who shared it with me are now dead," he replied coolly. He pointed a finger at her, from a loose wrist, making his gesture look like a casual swipe instead of an aggressive gesture.

"All products of that hate that you're so proud off. When I first met you, you pissed me the hell off, but now," he shook his head and paused, allowing himself to breathe in while she bared her fangs at him, body struggling against her bindings, wired straining as she moved. "There's always a stupid village, or a stupid person, or something else that's deserving of hate. And in the end, where does that hate bring anybody? Where did all that revenge lead? Justice stemming from a heart seeking vengeance always ends up corrupted. It's the wheel that keeps turning."

He quietened down and folded his hands across his chest. "And nobody has the balls to break that wheel."

She glared harshly at him, her breath labored and the vessels of her neck taut, evidently throbbing under her anger and discomfort, as well as the aggravation caused by her bindings. He didn't need enhanced vision to tell she was boiling, still livid, her clenched fists seemingly begging for more space to strike him. But he had meant what he said, he was done.

"Anyway, judging by that elegant dress of yours, now so stained and messy, I'm guessing you had a date," he said, bouncing to his feet and turning his back. "There's nobody immediately nearby to threaten you; and you'll get your strings loose in no time, Miss Hitoame. Farewell and safe travels, may our paths cross someday in better circumstances."

Suddenly, there was a sound like a cracking whip, which echoed through the trees, ringing and ringing as the birds flapped their wings to escape the disturbance. But Densetsu was long gone, having simply disappeared into nothing.

"Wait, n-no!" Hina called out into the void of the forest with a desperate look of panic on her face, "D-Don't leave me h-here!" She struggled and squirmed in a futile protest. "Densetsu!" she cried. "Densetsu, you bastard! I'm n-not finished with you! I-I can still f-fight!" Her voice echoed throughout the forest, but there wasn't a single soul nearby who could hear her. "Curse you!" she screamed, yanking hard on the bindings around her arms in an effort to escape, but doing so only made the wire strings tighten even further around her body. "I'll n-never forgive you, you Konoha...ugh! Never! Nev-" she coughed suddenly, the wires around her neck once again having blocked off her air for a brief moment; she needed to keep her neck up, but that was getting more and more difficult with each passing minute.

Totally exhausted, Hina could no longer muster the strength to shout and scream. If she wanted freedom, she needed to think with a clear, level head. Focusing her thoughts, the defeated kunoichi got to work with her bindings, using her expert skills in order to escape. Realizing that she'd only used her backup Tantō in a genjutsu, she reached for it where it had been all along. It was still sheathed in the scabbard wrapped around her lower, right leg, so she tried to unfasten the metallic clip which held the small dagger in place. Because her arms were boxtied, reaching was quite difficult, but after several attempts she succeeded in opening up the scabbard. Carefully, removing the tantō with her fingertips, she tried to get a better grip on it; it being just barely within reach, she was forced to inch it out of its holster slowly. However, just when she thought she had finally gotten it out, it slipped from her fingers and fell to the earth beneath her, hopelessly out of her reach.

Groaning in despair as what seemed to be her only hope of escape fell out of her reach, she whimpered and winced in pain; she was quickly losing circulation to multiple parts of her body due to the tightness of her bindings. Faced with no other option, she realized she would need to force a jutsu. It would only require a bit of chakra, but even then, she wasn't sure if she had enough. Concentrating, she focused almost all the remaining chakra she had into one, tiny, water needle. With just barely enough chakra left to keep herself partially awake, she used the tiny needle to start ripping at her wire string bindings.

After several minutes of constantly plucking at the same spots over and over again, Hina finally managed to break enough wire strings to undo her suspension, causing her to come crashing to the ground 3 feet below. Tiredly shuffling and shifting her body over to her nearby tantō, she grabbed hold of the knife and began to properly cut herself loose. Without a doubt, this had been the most humiliating, crushing defeat of her life.

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 14:02, January 28, 2021 (UTC)

Epilogue

After the events that transpired between Hina Hitoame of the Hidden Rain and Densetsu of the Leaf, Hina had no choice but to continue her mission. Originally, she'd been on a journey to secure an important trade deal between Amegakure and the Land of Tea; hoping to experience a great, positive change in the new era, her village wanted to reach out and improve relations with foreign countries. A trade deal with the Land of Tea would greatly help get the village's economy back up on its feet for the first time in many decades.

Unfortunately for Hina, due to the time spent untying herself from her wire string predicament, she arrived late for her appointment with the officials of the Land of Tea. To her horror, she discovered that, in her absence, the Land of Tea had just completed trade negotiations with the Land of Fire, specifically supplying and receiving valuable goods to and from Konohagakure. Because she had failed to arrive on time, the deal was passed on to the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Rain was no longer being considered for negotiations. While Densetsu had nothing to do with this trade agreement, Hina blamed him for causing her village's plans to fall through; she thought he was in on it. Her people needed his deal, and now it was out of their reach.

Trying to reason with the officials to perhaps reconsider the agreement, Hina was immediately shunned and shut down. The lords simply looked at how she was dressed—her fancy clothes were completely torn, tattered, and ripped. Her hair was disheveled and red, wire string marks lined her body. She was completely unpresentable—this reflected on her village poorly. The officials refused deal with people who couldn't even respect formalities. Tired, humiliated, and defeated, Hina returned home to her village, bringing the terrible news. Her hatred towards Konoha had now only increased. She'd also never forget the name Densetsu, and that young man's arrogant face was permanently etched into her mind.

In the years following the Fourth Great Ninja War, Amegakure continued to experience failures like these—each time being beaten out by the other great nations. As a result, by the time of the Boruto era, the village has failed to improve. The suffering and misery of its people continues on.

❧ ~ End ~ ❧

--Holly Winter19 (talk) 14:32, January 28, 2021 (UTC)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{HallOfFame}}
 {{Hollyproperty2.5}}
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 =='''Tea and Dango'''==
-Staring out at the afternoon sky of the {{Nw|Land of Tea}}, {{Nw|Amegakure}} emissary and Jōnin kunoichi, [[Hina Hitoame]], sat alone near the window of a small, roadside teashop, awaiting her order. With her village's attempts at reformation following the war, Amegakure had been employing her for diplomatic reasons: At the request of the village leaders, she'd been sent to the Land of Tea in the hopes of securing an important trade deal. The journey was long and she'd been traveling for a few weeks now, having to pass through the {{Nw|Land of Rivers}} on foot and boat, and subsequently sailing across the ocean until she reached her destination.
+Staring out at the afternoon sky of the {{Nw|Land of Tea}}, {{Nw|Amegakure}} emissary and Jōnin kunoichi, [[Hina Hitoame]], sat alone near the window of a small, roadside teashop, awaiting her order. With her village's attempts at reformation following the war, Amegakure had been employing her for diplomatic reasons: At the request of the village leaders, she'd been sent to the Land of Tea in the hopes of securing an important trade deal. The journey was long and she'd been traveling for several days now, having to pass through the {{Nw|Land of Rivers}} on foot and boat, and subsequently sailing across the ocean until she reached her destination.
 Sitting cross-legged at her booth, Hina impatiently tapped her nails against the wooden table where she was seated—she'd been traveling all day and hadn't eaten since before the sun rose that morning. From the window, she could see white clouds drifting by and small birds flying tree-to-tree, singing their songs and building their nests; if she listened carefully, she could make out the sound of flowing water from a small stream nearby. It was a peaceful spring day and a nice change of pace from her usual line of work.
@@ Line 15: / Line 16: @@
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-However the peace the young kunoichi was taking in would subtly dissipate as a lone figure emerged, a single shadow that stood out through the bright day. Slowly as the eyes of the shop's patrons grew accustomed to the fellow, they realised that the individual was rather young and scruffy looking. And as he made his way to a table, they obviously caught a glance of his forehead protector, conveniently placed around his neck. A shinobi from Konohagakure. He was of course, [[Densetsu]], whom unknown to most here, was known as the Ninto, a one man reign of terror carrying out his own vigilante brand of justice against the numerous underworld elements at large in the surrounding lands.
+However, the peaceful atmosphere the young kunoichi was enjoying would subtly dissipate as a lone figure emerged: A single shadow that stood out in the brightness of day. Slowly, as the eyes of the shop's patrons grew accustomed to the fellow, they realized that the mysterious individual was rather young and scruffy looking. As he made his way to a table, the patrons obviously caught a glance of his forehead protector, conveniently placed around his neck: A shinobi from Konohagakure. He was of course, [[Densetsu]], whom unknown to most here, was known as the Ninto, a one man reign of terror carrying out his own vigilante brand of justice against the numerous underworld elements at large in the surrounding lands.
-But much like Hina, young Densetsu too had been on a journey most arduous, having just assisted in hunting down a traitor to Kirigakure's ranks. The chase and subsequent battle hadn't been the reason behind his taxation, but the actual process to get to that point had extracted a vast toll from his reserves of energy. Now, he just wished for a beverage, even though tea was far from his favorite drink; orange juice.
+Much like Hina, young Densetsu too had been on a journey most arduous, having just assisted in hunting down a traitor to Kirigakure's ranks. The chase and subsequent battle hadn't been the reason behind his taxation, but the actual process to get to that point had extracted a vast toll from his reserves of energy. Now, he just wished for a beverage, even though tea was far from his favorite drink; orange juice.
-He surveyed the area for a place to sit, spotting an empty table just past Hina's. As he strode to the direction of this vacant seat, a woman called out to him.
+He surveyed the area for a place to sit, spotting an empty table just past Hina's. As he strode in the direction of this vacant seat, a woman called out to him.
 "Have a seat young sir, we'll get to you shortly!"
-Densetsu turned towards the direction of the voice, where the kind tea shop hostess stood, empty tray still in her hands. He turned and smiled politely, raising his hand in a gesture of acknowledgment; though this courteous gesture would prove to be catastrophic very shortly.
+Densetsu turned towards the direction of the voice, where the kind tea shop hostess stood, empty tray still in her hands. He turned and smiled politely, raising his hand in a gesture of acknowledgment; though this courteous gesture would soon prove to be quite catastrophic.
-As he turned back to the front, his waist hit the corner of Hina's table, bringing him lurching forward to the young kunoichi. Caught by the sudden and clumsy mistake, his body lurched forward, threatening to completely topple the drinks and sweets that had been served to Hina just seconds earlier. As he stumbled, he tried to catch himself by sticking out his hands, accidentally knocking over the young kunoichi's ceramic teacup in the process.
+As he turned back to the front, his waist hit the corner of Hina's table, bringing him lurching forward towards the young kunoichi. Caught by the sudden and clumsy mistake, his body lurched forward, threatening to completely topple the drinks and sweets that had been served to Hina just seconds earlier. As he stumbled, he tried to catch himself by sticking out his hands, accidentally knocking over the young kunoichi's ceramic teacup in the process.
 His tired mind had time only to register two words.
@@ Line 33: / Line 34: @@
 ----
-As hot tea spilled across the table and onto her lap, Hina cried out in pain; it felt like someone had dropped hot coals on her legs, or had rubbed fiery embers into her thighs. As a natural, physical reaction, she frantically tried to stand up and move out of the way. Unfortunately for her, the ever-so-clumsy Densetsu was blocking her way out and the table she was sitting at was preventing her from standing up. She tried pushing him out of the way, but no sooner had she reached out to him did more hot tea pour into her lap. Frantically, she clasped her hand against her mouth, as she attempted to hold back her urge to scream—she didn't want to embarrass herself, or draw any unwanted attention. When the last of the tea had spilt, Hina remained seated as she stared at her legs, her bangs cast a shadow ever her eyes—she didn't say a word.
+As hot tea spilled across the table and onto her lap, Hina cried out in pain; it felt like someone had dropped hot coals on her legs, or had rubbed fiery embers into her thighs. As a natural, physical reaction, she frantically tried to stand up and move out of the way. Unfortunately for her, the ever-so-clumsy Densetsu was blocking her way out and the table she was sitting at was preventing her from standing up properly. She tried pushing him out of the way, but no sooner had she reached out to him did more hot tea pour into her lap. Frantically, she clasped her hand against her mouth, as she attempted to hold back her urge to scream—she didn't want to embarrass herself, or draw any unwanted attention. When the last of the tea had spilled, Hina remained seated as she stared at her legs, her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes—she didn't say a word.
 --[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 21:25, September 17, 2020 (UTC)
@@ Line 39: / Line 40: @@
 ----
-Densetsu stared at the woman, his eyes registering a mixture of shock and fear. He'd really done it now. The eyes of everyone in the establishment had turned to their direction; the commotion had already caught their undivided attention. His eyes darted from his surroundings, taking in the scene from his periphery, before focusing again on the girl less than a foot in front of him. As a gentle gust of wind blew and carried her hair with it, he could tell that it was an understatement to merely call this girl 'pretty'. She was magnetic as fair as his steely gaze was concerned, with glowing skin and almost perfectly symmetrical facial features; reminiscent of those famous beauties that drew large male crowds in travelling plays and such.
+Densetsu stared at the woman, his eyes registering a mixture of shock and fear. He'd ''really'' done it now. The eyes of everyone in the establishment had turned in their direction; the commotion had already caught their undivided attention. His eyes darted from his surroundings, taking in the scene from his periphery, before focusing again on the girl less than a foot in front of him. As a gentle gust of wind blew and carried her hair with it, he could tell that it was an understatement to merely call this girl 'pretty'. She was '''magnetic''' as far as his steely gaze was concerned, with glowing skin and perfectly symmetrical facial features; reminiscent of those famous beauties that drew large male crowds in traveling plays and such.
-He exhaled harshly, his mind's voice echoing a very natural thought for a male in his late teens. ''I've fucked this up.''
+He exhaled harshly, as his mind's voice echoed a very natural thought for a male in his late teens. ''I've screwed up.''
-But as her gaze refused to meet his and the steam from the spilt tea rose from her now reddened thighs, Densetsu didn't need to be a sensor to detect the typhoon swirling in this bombshell's being. The shadows cast by her downturned head obscured her eyes, convincing Densetsu that the situation was indeed an extremely precarious one - and that he'd have to potentially defuse it very delicately indeed.
+But as the young kunoichi's gaze refused to meet his and the steam from the spilled tea rose from her now reddened thighs, Densetsu didn't need to be a sensor to detect the typhoon swirling in this bombshell of a being. The shadows cast by her down-turned head obscured her eyes, convincing Densetsu that the situation was indeed an extremely precarious one—one that he'd have to potentially defuse very delicately.
-''I've ''really'' fucked this up.''
+''I've ''really'' screwed this up.''
 He stepped back slowly, raising his hands in front of him, eyebrows rising as his head tilted slightly; as if trying to pacify a dangerous predatory animal. The wooden establishment watched the situation unfold quietly, as chatter had suddenly disappeared. "Whoa Miss, I'm extremely sorry. I-I didn't mean to, I got distracted."
@@ Line 51: / Line 52: @@
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-Unclasping her hand from her mouth and resting her wrists on her knees, Hina tried her hardest to keep her emotions under control; her hands were clenched tightly into little fists. Her body was trembling slightly and she bit her lip to hold back her involuntary frown, as well as the sharp lump developing in her throat. Even more painful than the burning sensation of the tea was the embarrassment she was having to endure: A kunoichi was supposed to be strong—she's supposed to be resilient and acute; it is forbidden to show weakness and taboo to present frailty. Yet something as trivial as spilt tea had moved her to the verge of tears.
+Unclasping her hand from her mouth and resting her wrists on her knees, Hina tried her hardest to keep her emotions under control; her hands were clenched tightly into little fists. Her body was trembling slightly and she bit her lip to hold back her involuntary frown, as well as the sharp lump developing in her throat. Even more painful than the burning sensation of the tea was the embarrassment she was having to endure: A kunoichi was supposed to be strong—she's supposed to be resilient and acute; it is ''forbidden'' to show '''weakness''' and ''taboo'' to present '''frailty'''. Yet something as trivial as spilled tea had moved her to the verge of tears.
 "Konoha bastard," she shakily whispered under her breath.
-Slowly, Hina raised her chin and lifted her head. Her indigo-colored eyes glistened and shined as she met Densetsu's timid gaze. She was glaring at him, fighting to hold back the tears welling in her reddened eyes. Her eyebrows showed her anguish with their U-shaped curves, but they also conveyed rage as they tilted inwards. Her cheeks were flushed a bright scarlet color and her lips quivered.
+Slowly, Hina raised her chin and lifted her head. Her indigo-colored eyes glistened and shined as she met Densetsu's timid gaze. She was glaring at him, fighting to hold back the tears welling in her reddened eyes. Her eyebrows showed her anguish with their U-shaped curves, but they also conveyed rage as they tilted inwards. Her cheeks flushed a bright scarlet color and her lips quivered.
 A single tear trailed down her left cheek.
@@ Line 63: / Line 64: @@
 ----
-Already Densetsu was very aware of the power that a woman's tears could contain. He didn't have to move his eyes to realise that the others had started muttering. His simple mistake had turned him into the villain of the day, the crass young man who made a young maiden cry.
+Already Densetsu was very aware of the power that a woman's tears could contain. He didn't have to move his eyes to realize that the other patrons had started muttering. His simple mistake had turned him into the villain of the day; the crass young man who had made a young maiden cry.
-That realisation coupled with his guilt led to him overlooking her harsh comment, despite his own irritated mood from his heavy workload. Again, seeing her sobbing profusely, Densetsu made his next attempt at pacifying her.
+That realization coupled with his guilt led to him overlooking her harsh comment, despite his own irritated mood from his heavy workload. Again, seeing her barely able to hold back her tears, Densetsu made his next attempt at pacifying her.
-But the comment ''had'' hit a raw nerve.
+But her comment ''had'' hit a raw nerve.
-He dug into his baggy fatigues, pulling out his wallet. But as she glared at him, he now held her gaze firmly in his own, his tired eyes sharpening; crystallising into those of a viper's poised to strike. The voice that emerged now wasn't gentle and accommodating, it was steady and blunt. He took care not to show anger or frustration, but he was as proud as he was young. Even when in the wrong, Densetsu wasn't a man who appreciated insults.
+He dug into his baggy fatigues, pulling out his wallet. But as she glared at him, he now held her gaze firmly in his own, his tired eyes sharpening; crystallizing into those of a viper's poised to strike. The voice that emerged now wasn't gentle or accommodating, rather, it was steady and blunt. He took care not to show anger or frustration, but he was as proud as he was young. Even when in the wrong, Densetsu wasn't a man who appreciated insults.
 "No miss, I mean it. I'll pay for your meal, I'm really sorry this happened. Reimbursement is all I can offer, for what it's worth."
@@ Line 75: / Line 76: @@
 ----
-As the young man withdrew money from his wallet, Hina's gaze drifted towards the wad of cash in his hand. However, no sooner had he offered it to her did she slap his hand away in disgust, sending the paper currency airborne as it rained to the floor. Was she a child to him? Did he honestly think he could bribe her with money? She could hear the lack of compassion in his voice and saw the absence of care in his eyes.
+As the young man withdrew money from his wallet, Hina's gaze drifted towards the wad of cash in his hand. However, no sooner had he offered it to her did she slap his hand away in disgust, sending the paper currency airborne as it rained to the floor. Was she a child to him? Did he honestly think he could bribe her with money? She could ''hear'' the lack of compassion in his voice and saw the ''absence of care'' in his eyes.
-"Another spoiled Konoha brat thinks he can pay his way out of conflict?" Hina inquired sharply, "You're nothing but a coward."
+"Another spoiled Konoha brat thinks he can pay his way out of conflict?" Hina inquired sharply, "You're nothing but a '''coward'''."
 Around the room Hina could hear chuckles and laughter amongst the bystanders. At first, she took comfort in knowing that the arrogant young man in front of her was being publicly humiliated, but as she became more aware of the situation, she soon discovered that they were actually laughing at her.
-"Crybaby should have just taken the pity-money," a mercenary at another booth chuckled to his companion.
+"Crybaby should have just taken the pity-money," a mercenary at one booth chuckled to his drunken companion.
-"Az ezpected of ah ''kunoichi''," a slightly buzzed leaf shinobi slurred, "all women are good for are fer slee-ipin with."
+"Az ezpected of ah ''kunoichi''," a slightly buzzed leaf shinobi slurred, "all womenz are good fer are fer slee-ipin with-hic!"
-"Hey ''legs'', come on home with me!" hollered a street gangster, "I'll make you feel reeeeaaal good!" As Hina ignored him, he taunted her, "You'll like me so much, you won't be able to stop moaning my name all night, Yūjo-chan!"
+"Hey ''legs'', come on home with me!" hollered what appeared to be a pathetic excuse for a street gangster, "I'll make you feel reeeeaaal good!" As Hina ignored him, he taunted her, "You'll like me so much baby, you won't be able to stop moaning my name all night, Yūjo-chan!"
-With that final remark, Hina snapped, as she flung two already-eaten sticks of dango into the air. In the blink of an eye, the second one ricocheted off the first and pierced through her catcaller's bottom lip causing him to scream in pain as blood dripped onto his teriyaki. Scared for his life, the coward fled the scene without even paying for his meal. The chuckling and whispers ceased, as the onlookers got the message: Hina wasn't one to be messed with.
+With that final remark, Hina snapped, as she flung two already-eaten sticks of dango into the air. In the blink of an eye, the second one ricocheted off the first and pierced through her catcaller's bottom lip, causing him to scream in pain as blood dripped onto his teriyaki. Scared for his life, the coward fled the scene without even paying for his meal. The chuckling and whispers ceased, as the onlookers got the message: Hina wasn't one to be messed with.
 Having dealt with the commotion in the room and addressing the assault on her pride, Hina turned her attention back to Densetsu; she still had a bone to pick with him.
@@ Line 95: / Line 96: @@
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-Densetsu kept his glare fixed on Hina, even as she promptly silenced the one among the crowd that had decided to ridicule her. The events had transpired before he had responded to her proud swipe at his hand, before he had seized the chance to lash back at the vicious, patronising words she had thrown at his face.
+Densetsu kept his glaze fixed on Hina, even as she promptly silenced the one among the crowd that had decided to ridicule her. The events had transpired before he had responded to her proud swipe at his hand; before he had seized the chance to lash back at the vicious, patronizing words she had thrown at his face.
-But he had to accept that he developed a grudging respect for her, for how she handled the situation. Her delicate demeanor hiding a willingness to take decisive action when the situation offered it.
+But he had to accept that he developed a grudging respect for her, for how she had handled the situation. Her delicate demeanor hid a willingness to take decisive action when the situation presented itself.
-But the delay had also given Densetsu ammunition to respond to her condescending speech, for he had spotted an object at the corner of his eye beside the window, that allowed him to deliver a barbed whip of his own. This object was of course the woman's cone shaped hat, with a metal forehead protector etched onto it, reflecting the sunlight from the window into the corner of Densetsu's vision. The sobbing beauty was from Amegakure, by the looks.
+However, the delay had also given Densetsu ammunition to respond to her condescending speech, for he had spotted an object in the corner of his vision beside the window, something that allowed him to deliver a barbed whip of his own. This object was, of course, the woman's cone-shaped hat, with a metal forehead protector etched onto it—reflecting the sunlight from the window into Densetsu's eyes. The sobbing beauty was from Amegakure, by the looks.
-There was still an uneasy silence, though this was brief. Densetsu straightened up, the corner of his lip curling into a snarl, his slouch diminishing as he loomed over Hina, who now stood below his shoulder level. Ignoring the money scattered at his feet, Densetsu stepped forward closer, taking up Hina's space: he wanted his words to clearly register in her head, he didn't want a single syllable to be lost.
+There was still an uneasy silence, though this was brief. Densetsu straightened up, the corner of his lip curling into a snarl, his slouch diminishing as he loomed over Hina, who now stood below his shoulder level. Ignoring the money scattered at his feet, Densetsu stepped forward closer, taking up Hina's space: He wanted his words to clearly register in her head; he didn't want a single syllable to be lost.
-"You know, it makes sense you hate Konoha so much now," he stated slowly, taking no care to avoid misinterpretations whatsoever. "You lot were caught between the Great Villages afterall. But you know what's precisely wrong with you folk?"
+"You know, it makes sense you hate Konoha so much now," he stated slowly, taking great care to avoid any misinterpretations whatsoever. "You lot were caught between the Great Villages after all. But you know what's precisely wrong with you folk?"
-He allowed a slight pause, some part of him hoping that his words would incense her further. "You lot act like collateral, which you are...then you go ahead and bend backwards for some misguided megalomaniac and call him your ''{{nw|Pain|God}}''. Maybe that's why I'm not too disturbed by your ''hypocrisy''."
+He allowed a slight pause, some part of him hoping that his words would incite her further, "You lot act like collateral, which you are... then you go ahead and bend backwards for some misguided megalomaniac and call him your ''{{nw|Pain|God}}''. Maybe that's why I'm not too disturbed by your ''hypocrisy''."
 Densetsu exhaled harshly, as if to suppress a laugh. "Leave it to the real cowards to put on such a show. You trembled at the mention of your false god. ''{{nw|Konohagakure|We}}'' proved he was only ''human''."
-He didn't bother how his strong words came across. It was common knowledge that many revered Pain, even months after this death now. Densetsu still seethed every time he stepped foot in his village, wishing desperately that he could have joined the battle to defend his village. To have prevented all the destruction, even though Pain had restored the villagers' lives with his own life. Though his sacrifice had softened the stance of many of the villagers towards him since he returned the lives he claimed; Densetsu could not forgive him. He now stood his ground, refusing to back down from Hina, refusing to give her any more room to use his accident to verbally abuse him; his deep set eyes aggressively sizing her up - daring her to challenge his words.
+He didn't bother how his strong words came across. It was common knowledge that many revered Pain, even months after his death now. Densetsu still seethed every time he set foot in his village, wishing desperately that he could have joined the battle to defend it. To have prevented all the destruction, even though Pain had restored the villagers' lives with his own life. Although his sacrifice had softened the stance of many of the villagers towards him since he had returned the lives he claimed, Densetsu could not forgive him. He now stood his ground, refusing to back down from Hina, refusing to give her any more room to use this accident to verbally abuse him; his deep set eyes aggressively sized her up, daring her to challenge his words.
 ----
-As the young man loomed over her, Hina challenged his authority, having taken deep offense to his accusations. "You're wrong!" Hina shouted upon hearing Densetsu's words, "{{Nw|Pain|Lord Pain}} fought for us courageously in order to establish peace and bring about justice! He led us by example and gave us hope when there was none—you leaf ninja could ''never'' understand!
+As the young man loomed over her and continued to stare her down, it became more and more apparent that Hina was having difficulty maintaining eye contact with him. His intimidating aura had made her visibly uncomfortable and she fidgeted slightly. Her eyes darted to her left, she brought her arms to her chest and crossed them underneath her bosom, and she anxiously rubbed her thighs together. However, she couldn't ignore his insults towards her village and its heroes, so she found the courage to take him on. Refusing to have her personal space violated by him any longer, Hina challenged his authority, "You're wrong!" she started, "{{Nw|Pain|Lord Pain}} fought for us courageously in order to establish peace and bring about justice! He led us by example and gave us hope when there was none—you leaf ninja could ''never'' understand!
-Recalling past experiences, Hina let out a flood of emotions, "It's because of your village's ceaseless wars that families like mine were forced into inescapable poverty! You destroyed and left our land in ruins, split families apart, slaughtered children, and stripped us of our pride as a people! As a result, children like me grew up in poor families with barely enough to eat, few clothes to wear, and no access to medicine!
+Recalling past experiences, Hina let out a flood of emotions, "It's because of your village's ceaseless wars that families like mine were forced into inescapable poverty! You destroyed and left our land in ruins, poisoned the air we breathe with invisible toxins, split families apart, slaughtered children, and stripped us of our pride as a people! As a result, children like me grew up in poor families with barely enough to eat, few clothes to wear, and no access to medicine!
-The young kunoichi's voice had begun to sound hoarse and anyone with a knack for people could tell that she was speaking from the heart "I went to "bed" on wet pavement each and every night—starving—with only rags for clothes!" she cried. "The only way out of that miserable life was through offering my life up as a child-soldier for no reason other than to survive! I didn't own a pair of shoes until I turned 13! There were thousands of children with stories exactly like mine and only through the grace of {{Nw|Konan|Lady Angel}} and the strength of Lord Pain were we saved."
+The young kunoichi's voice had begun to sound hoarse and anyone with a knack for people could tell that she was speaking from the heart. "I went to bed on wet pavement each and every night—starving—with only rags for clothes!" she cried. "The only way out of that miserable life was through offering my life up as a child-soldier for no reason other than to survive! I didn't own a pair of shoes until I turned 13! Standard, military-issued Amegakure sandals! There were thousands of children with stories exactly like mine and only through the grace of {{Nw|Konan|Lady Angel}} and the strength of Lord Pain were we saved! They were there for us when no one else was; they tried to lead us when no one else could! Each and every one of us owes our lives to Lord Pain!"
-Hina was furious, as was made more than obvious by her trembling body, shaky voice, exclamatory language, and spiteful facial expression. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed and she felt nothing but sheer animosity towards the young man looking down at her.
+Hina was furious, as was made more than obvious by her trembling body, shaky voice, exclamatory language, and spiteful facial expression. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed and she felt little else but sheer animosity towards the young man looking down at her; the extent of her wrath seemed boundless.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 07:41, September 26, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+She had a point and he knew it all too well. How many people had been caught between the wars the Great Villages and their shinobi waged? Much had been said about the casualties from major villages, but very little came out about those from smaller villages. But Densetsu couldn't help but shake his head at her tirade.
+It wasn't that he didn't feel for the generations affected by unnecessary wars, or that he supported the vile actions of his village in the past. Perhaps more than most, he felt great shame for so many of Konoha's past atrocities. Atrocities he partook in during his year in the ANBU. But more than anything, he was bewildered by how she kept a megalomaniac on a pedestal. Astonishment at how thoroughly so many people still believed in petty things like vengeance, relying on so called 'gods' like Pain to act as their messengers.
+"So you've known war then, one way or another. Good. You know how it tears people apart," he stated, somewhat calmly, not losing even a hint of the intensity in his eyes. He was unbothered by her anger, but spiteful towards her idolizing of Pain. He had spent five years away from his beloved village and he had seen first hand how the Akatsuki's reign of terror had impacted so many lives. But, in his opinion, the woman in front of him seemed to care only about the past. She seemed to use that to justify Pain's divinity.
+"Pain would have thrust us into a conflict without an end. His war to end all wars was a sham. A lie," Densetsu hissed, coiling up slowly as he threw his beliefs out into the open. "I've seen what his group did to people. He was exactly the same poison you breathe; he was exactly the same warmonger as the Great Villages. He was a criminal, a scumbag, and now he's dead. Thankfully our world's richer for it."
+He slammed his hand on the table, as some of the other observers jolted back in shock. "Here's a tip lady, step outside your village. If you can't realize that what bastard Pain has done is as evil as the actions of the Great Villages, you're living a lie. He wasn't a god, just another insane criminal, ''period''."
+----
+What Hina heard was exactly what she expected from someone who grew up sheltered and spoiled; typical of a Konoha rat who enters the shinobi lifestyle seeking glory and prestige, rather than out of necessity and love of one's village—the hope for the next generation to live a better life. Having reached the breaking point of her level of tolerance, she could no longer hold herself back. She was fuming on the inside and had reached her limit.
+It happened without warning: Hina's hand flew through the air as she tried to slap Densetsu as hard as she could across his left cheek. Carrying the culmination of her malice and short temper, her hand zeroed in on the young man's ever-so-punchable face.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 04:32, September 27, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+But her swinging palm was met with a momentary flicker, as those watching would barely be able to detect Densetsu's movements; the hand that once rested on the table whipped upwards in defense. With the speed of lightning and a grip of stone, he grabbed Hina's wrist, squeezing it so tight that the young woman gasped in pain; the veins on the back of her palm seemed to throb outwards as her hand quickly began to redden under his grip—her fingertips were turning purple. As she futilely struggled to free her aching wrist, Densetsu only tightened his iron grip; his eyes had widened in rage from the kunoichi's unsolicited acts of aggression.
+As Densetsu eyed her down menacingly, all Hina could do was try to loosen his grip on her right hand, however, he wouldn't budge. Scowling at him, she let out a frustrated yell as she raised her right knee high into the air before bringing her foot crashing down upon his with all her might. With little time to react, Densetsu felt a jolt of '''excruciating pain''' as the spike of Hina's indigo-black, high-heel, strap sandal jammed itself into his left foot. Driven by agony, he recoiled momentarily, as his mind took time to process what had just occurred.
+Seizing her opportunity to attack, Hina lunged her left hand towards Densetsu's face. Her fingers were outspread and her fine nails were like the talons of a hawk, unmistakably trying to scratch and claw at his face and eyes. There was no martial discipline, only rage.
+----
+However, Densetsu had already read the follow up. With a quick and decisive motion, he jerked his head back and to his left, giving himself more than enough room to react to Hina's darting hand; simultaneously, he pulled back his foot, the one that Hina had just stomped on. As a result, this would unsettle Hina's balance and—just as Densetsu's free hand intercepted hers—he pulled the kunoichi to the side. Using the momentum generated by the rotation of his own body and that of her own thrusting hand, Densetsu expertly swept her across him and onto the table where the remainder of the young woman's tea and sweets were. It happened so fast; Hina wasn't prepared.
+The entire table shook as Hina was forced onto the wooden surface, Densetsu pinning her down with his own body weight. Keeping her wrists tightly clutched in his hands, he put himself over her to prevent any further aggression. The disbelief on his own face wasn't even contained at this point, as was made apparent by his eyebrows turning inwards; he was simply unable to comprehend what this woman was actually up to.
+"Just what the ''hell'' is your problem?!" he shouted into her face. He could still feel the throbbing pain in his left foot.
+----
+Putting no effort into explaining herself, Hina simply twisted and turned, struggling to release herself from Densetsu's grasp. Laying with her back on the table and her wrists pinned down on either side of her head, she fought ferociously to free herself. Meanwhile, Densetsu loomed over her as she resisted his attempts to subdue her. It wasn't long until the young woman's acts of defiance began to subside, however something seemed a bit off.
+As the young man pushed himself closer to her, Hina flinched; he was holding her down and his body was right up against hers. Her heart felt as if it was beating out of her chest and she couldn't bear to meet his angry gaze. Unable to maintain eye-contact, she let her eyes drift to her left. Unlike last time, she couldn't find the courage to resist his intimidating aura. He had her back to the wall, almost literally, and there was nothing she could do. She was mad—hell, she was even more mad now—but she felt powerless. He had invaded her ''personal space.''
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 19:22, September 30, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+Looking closely at the kunoichi, Densetsu could tell that she was panting slightly—her bosom rose and fell at a steady pace; it was clear to him that she had exhausted herself trying to wriggle out of her current predicament. However, there seemed to be something else that peaked his interest: As he tried to look directly into her eyes, she averted his gaze and even seemed scared—there was a small hint of fear. Looking closer at her face, he noticed that she was blushing profusely, but the reason as to why eluded him. He felt movement under him and he tightened his grip on her wrists, but soon realized that the girl was squirming around underneath him. If anything, it looked like the situation had made her incredibly ''uncomfortable''.
+And it was only moments later, before he could revel in his subduing of his assailant, that Densetsu realized truly what was wrong with the picture. His opponent had stopped struggling, seemingly subservient and unwilling to challenge him further. With his face so close to hers and their bodies basically in contact with each other. The brashness of youth and urgent screams of his commonsense alerted him to the fact that the their scuffle had devolved into something of a more...''feral'' nature. His neck tensed up as he released a sharp exhale, hands loosening quickly to escape from the vulgar position he had just created.
+He straightened up abruptly, while she still remained on her back in front of him, lying in that wooden table. Shocked by her sudden submissiveness, resisting his own raging teenage emotions and almost visibly clattering in embarrassment, he finally stepped back, turning his face away from her and averting his gaze to the floor. A frown appeared on his lips. Without a moment to spare, Hina pressed her thighs together, closing her legs and protecting her modesty.
+More muttering from the audience. Perhaps an odd chuckle here and there. He glanced at the establishment's patrons from the corner of his eyes. He shook his head and clicked his tongue, expressing annoyance in the most polite manner he was accustomed to as he turned to face the still supine Hina.
+"Stop it. This is over, I told you I'm sorry, but I grovel for your apology. And ''this''," he pointed angrily in Hina's direction,"is nothing but a colossal waste of my time."
+He sighed and prepared to turn away to exit the establishment.
+----
+Hina steadily sat upright as she watched Densetsu walk away from the scene; her pride was all but gone. As she soothingly rubbed her wrists, she silently seethed in rage. He had spilled hot tea on her and caused her to shed tears; he caused the patrons to treat her with disrespect; he had insulted her village and its heroes; he had brought out her anger and compelled her to attack him; he had forced her to submit and even though he had forced her submission, still he chose to apologize and walk away.
+"That's what I hate so much about you Konoha shinobi!" Hina yelled after him. "You go around making a mess of things—making life hard for everyone else—and then you apologize and get to walk away unscathed, never facing the consequences of your actions, or suffering in the ways that we do!"
+Densetsu stopped in his tracks.
+Venting, Hina persisted, "You get to go home to a village full of happiness, warmth, and love, with peace bought at the expense of others, while I return home to a grey land that's always crying! Your village bows its head and apologizes over and over again, but such actions are nothing but self-serving! You get to watch your youth grow up strong and healthy; I am tired of seeing the parents of my village having to bury their own children!"
+In her tantrum, Hina picked up and threw her ceramic teacup at Densetsu. "Coward!" she screamed, "Konoha bastard!"
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 00:43, October 3, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+Without even looking he merely tilted his head to one side, allowing the teacup to pass his head, as his right hand flickered upwards simultaneously. Densetsu caught the ceramic cup effortlessly, eliciting hushed whispers from the crowd, marveling at the youngster's reflexes. Slowly, he lowered his hand, placing the cup on the tabletop closest to him, where two middle-aged women glanced nervously at him.
+He wasn't in a hurry to turn around, choosing to keep his eyes focuses on the doorway. The way out. A means of escape from what had been an extremely unsavory last few minutes. But still he remained, back towards the woman who couldn't stop assaulting his pride and tearing into his village's less-than-prolific past. But above all, Densetsu could see the problem that lay in her rage and ferocity—the fundamental issue that still plagued all the major villages, one that the Fourth War helped shatter for the Great Villages.
+People were so fixated on the past that they refused to move forward ''together''.
+That, along with her unrelenting attacks on him as well as her physical attacks had greatly angered him. But for him, it wasn't anything new in his five years of nomadic wandering. And so, instead of backing away from this problem, he did what he had done countless times before.
+He stood his ground and turned to face the issue head on, looking directly into Hina's eyes and refusing to step back. "So I ask you this then," he started coolly, slowly allowing the rest of his body to turn towards her. "What are you going to do about it?"
+----
+It was her move. Hina wanted nothing more than to bash his skull in with a frying pan, but posed with Densetsu's question, she realized she needed to calm down if she was going to get what she wanted. Lashing out at him wasn't going to make her feel any better; it was a fight she truly wanted. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Hina controlled her rage, directing her wrath and focusing it into confidence. Exhaling, she smiled slightly—eyes still closed. Crossing her legs, right over left, she assumed a position of dominance. She was as angry as ever, but now she was focused and her gaze was cold; she was remarkably sangfroid.
+With her legs crossed and her feet dangling inches off the floor, Hina ran her fingertips along the fringes of her indigo-colored Qipao dress, slipping her pale hand underneath the slit that ran up the right edge of her skirt, before brushing it to the side, revealing the bareness of her entire right leg. Wrapped around her now-visible, upper-right thigh was a band slotting a dozen senbon, one of which Hina promptly removed. As she slipped the metal needle out of it's slot, she started talking. In a calm and steady voice, yet one reeking of animosity, she replied, "I'm going to teach a cowardly young man a lesson."
+Flicking the needle in Densetsu's direction, Hina sent the chakra-enhanced senbon whizzing through the air at remarkable speed. It landed inches away from his feet, as intended. "If you're worth anything," she started, "fight me fairly." The young kunoichi had issued a challenge: For the sake of his and his village's honor, Densetsu would have to accept, lest he prove himself to be just as cowardly as the young maiden claimed.
+"Of course, if you're all bark and no bite, I'll ''let'' you walk away, but there is one condition." Hina smiled hubristically as she stuck out her dainty right foot, "if you really don't want to fight, coward, ''kiss it''." She knew a young man his age was brimming with pride and arrogance; he would never do such a thing. If he had to choose between humiliating himself by kissing her foot, or accepting her challenge, chances are he'd accept her challenge... and that was exactly what Hina wanted. Of course, she didn't want his filthy lips anywhere near her, but her goal was to provoke him.
+"If you refuse to both fight me and kiss my foot," Hina spoke, "I'll kill you where you stand." Her eyes had turned quite serious and one could tell that her inner hatred was overflowing despite her best attempts at hiding her pain. "The choice is up to you." she concluded.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 07:19, October 3, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+Densetsu took his time to shift his eyes from her, to the senbon she has just flicked at him and then back to her again. ''I'll kill you where you stand''. How many times had he heard that in his 18 years of life? He honestly could not recall. But he wasn't surprised; he had a natural talent when it came to making enemies after all.
+"You know, you were ''way'' scarier when you were defenseless and dainty," he said, voice quiet but clear as the tea shop's atmosphere had gotten tense, wallowing in nervous silence. He raised his head upwards, while his pupils remained fixated on Hina.
+Slowly a dry, cocky smirk emerged on his face. The guilt evaporated and his hesitation ebbed away, relieved that he wasn't preying on some feeble individual; liberated by the chains her meek demeanor had set upon him. "If you wanted a kiss ''that'' badly sweetie, you could have asked politely. I might have actually obliged..." She scowled in disgust.
+Ignoring her threat, he turned away from her, so that his back was facing her again. An expression of overflowing arrogance in most circles it would seem, to turn one's back away from a potential opponent.
+"I accept your challenge. We'll take this outside."
+As his fingers gripped the handle of the door, a dense shockwave of [[Chakra|energy]] pulsed from him, rippling through the air and causing the nearby customers to jerk in shock. Hina's senbon, which had been stuck into the floorboard, immediately dislodged, clattering harmlessly behind a few tables. The door remained open.
+=='''Pride and Youth'''==
+The sun was like a small dandelion floating across the deep-blue sea of the cloudless afternoon sky; it's rays gracing the nearby tree leaves and casting reflections in puddles and pools. Snakes were basking in the sun on warm, afternoon rocks. Birds were plucking worms from the soil, eyeing the wiggling creatures through the blades of green grass. A slight breeze was in the air, carrying with it a remedy to the sun's scorching rays, but today was a cool spring day, and so the sun felt pleasant to the skin.
+''Along a winding road, in the heart of the Land of Tea;''<br>
+''Outside a small teashop, where leaf and rain meet;''<br>
+''There stood two shinobi—a man and a kunoichi;''<br>
+''Anger blooms after noon, blossoms like a cherry tree;''<br>
+''Leaf on rainwater; Pride and Youth!''
+As a gentle breeze graced Hina's skin and carried her silky hair along its current, her indigo locks appeared as a swaying banner in the wind. Facing the young man several meters away, Hina stood her ground and analyzed Densetsu in an attempt to gauge his fighting ability. She, along with the shinobi in front of her, was standing outside of the tea establishment on the nearby dirt road. Onlookers had already begun to gather around to see the spectacle—after all the drama from earlier, they were expecting a big fight. Some of the bystanders were placing their bets. Others were only curious of each challenger's abilities.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 16:48, October 8, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+Halfway across the makeshift stage which would be their battleground, Densetsu stared back.
+He was remarkably calm. Unshakable, in every sense of the word. He didn't experience formal duels nowadays; situations where shinobi dueled like this were uncommon after the days of the Chunin Exams. Densetsu's opponents were usually of a wilder quality. Barbaric and vicious adversaries who fluctuated from merciless thugs in torn down slums to power hungry despots seeking to conquer the world. Of course these people had heard of his alter ego, the Human Torch, with its furry hoodie and blood red monkey mask. But to be in combat as his true self, without a globally recognized name and without much renown, held its own charms to the young man.
+Densetsu carefully sized up his slender opponent, looking past her feminine wiles and appearance to draw a cautious first impression. He had seen how deft her movements were in the teashop—how she instinctively used the dango sticks as weapons. And how she had hit her target with barely a wasted movement. He had also seen her weaponry when she had suggestively dangled her thighs to intimidate him. Senbon were a personal favorite, he wanted to assume. Senbon were also a relief to him, as they were quick but lacked the weight of kunai, meaning that despite their speed and versatility, they would be easy to deflect. There was no doubt in his mind that she was very talented when it came to wielding projectiles, which Densetsu instinctively understood meant that he would have to keep an eye on her wrist movements. Projectile users tended to favor wire strings in his experiences, but most of the time their wrist work would give them away. Her outfit was tailored to facilitate movement from the looks of it. He remembered her tactics when he confronted her as well, how that brief physical altercation between them played out. At first glance she didn't appear to possess great strength, but she compensated with unorthodox fighting methods which could even be described as being 'dirty' judging by that toe stomp.
+He let a hand rest upon his waist as she continued to eye him.
+The variables he couldn't predict right now were the number of elemental transformations she had at her disposal, her overall skill with ninjutsu and her genjutsu abilities. He also decided that he'd proceed on the assumption that her speed at least matched his, at least until proven otherwise.
+Exhaling silently, Densetsu's right hand left his waist and rose slowly to the level of his chest, forming the seal of confrontation; the traditional courtesy at the beginning of a bout. His body bent low as he spread his legs wide, his leading leg bent at the knee, his stance resembling that of a sprinter at the start line. His left hand rested upon the ground beside his leading foot as he called out to her.
+"Before we begin, be a courteous combatant and tell me your name," Densetsu called out boldly, his muscles tensing as he awaited her own seal of confrontation, which would begin their duel. The cool wind blew his short hair as a flash of red light flickered into his eyes, drawing gasps from those in the crowd with eyesight sharp enough to detect the awakening of the [[Sharingan]].
+----
+Upon seeing the Sharingan activate in the young man's eyes, Hina's own eyes widened slightly and her facial expression turned to one of shock, if only for a moment. "You are an Uchiha," she remarked coolly, "one of the last surviving members of your clan I presume? I didn't know there were any of you left." With her right hand she rotated the handle of her umbrella, causing the device to twirl over her shoulder; it cast a small shadow over her figure. She smiled gently and closed her eyes.
+"Hina. I am Hina Hitoame, Jōnin of the Hidden Rain." She opened her eyes and formed the seal of confrontation with her left hand, concentrating her chakra.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 14:14, October 10, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+Upon finally hearing her name, Densetsu clapped his hands together, still in his low stance. "One of the last? I'd be surprised if that were ''actually'' the case."
+Their eyes had already [[Genjutsu: Sharingan|locked]] and the seal of confrontation had been made. Densetsu had established the link between them that he would need for his first shot at the opponent.
+"The name's Densetsu Uchiha, Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf," he called, before his hands separated and a flaming orb erupted from his parted lips. This ball of flame seemed to expand in size as it got closer to Hina, threatening to swallow her whole, cutting off every avenue of escape as it loomed larger and larger over her petite build.
+The attack of course, was an illusion. A simple genjutsu that Densetsu had placed on her when she had peeked into his Sharingan, which he now quickly used to scan her figure as his attack registered. Clarity of vision was underrated when it came to the Sharingan's piercing stare, as it allowed its users to observe even the most seemingly minute details of their choosing. He looked for any tools he could see on her person while attempting to detect creases and irregularities in her clothing that would reveal concealed weaponry as well. Densetsu simultaneously focused chakra into the soles of his feet and the muscles above them, preparing himself for a devilish burst of speed that justified his eccentric stance.
+The umbrella would be the first tool Densetsu would seek to isolate from her, as he had experience with those pesky umbrellas in both direct and ranged combat. Some could fire projectiles while others doubled as swords. One had functioned as a shield in his past battles. In this case, Densetsu hoped that it wouldn't be a mix of all three as his left hand slipped behind to his weapons pouch, gripping a kunai from it. His right handful followed suit as it dragged a single explosive tag from the pouch, which he wrapped around the kunai's hilt.
+----
+Unfazed by the massive fireball headed in her direction, Hina maintained her seal of confrontation, refusing to move from her location until it was practically upon her. "Release..." she whispered, as she used the chakra she had been concentrating to disrupt the genjutsu she'd been placed under. During what should had been the fireball colliding with Hina's body, instead the flaming sphere ripped apart inches away from her and dissipated into the air, leaving illusionary embers drifting away in the wind.
+"Genjutsu of that level won't work on me, young man," Hina spoke, "it was a quite obvious move on your part, as I'm sure you well know: Anyone who's done their homework knows about the ocular powers of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, and it's capacity for genjutsu. The moment I recognized your eyes I took precautions, as I had already looked, and I began concentrating my chakra to break free of your illusion the moment the duel started." Her umbrella was now shielding her eyes, "For future reference, might I add that next time you choose to create an illusionary fireball, don't forget its shadow."
+With the umbrella tilted so that it barely covered her eyes, Hina stared at Densetsu through its fabric. In effect, she could look him in the eyes, but he wouldn't be able to see hers. She'd be invulnerable to his genjutsu. Of course, she didn't plan on relying on it exclusively, but she wanted a clear view of what Densetsu was going to do next, all the while fooling him into believing that she was blind to his actions.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 20:06, October 12, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+"Hmph," Densetsu chuckled in response, a tight smirk creeping on his face as the kunai danced around his index finger, spinning a few rounds before his other fingers tightened around its handle.
+Shinobi and kunoichi from the surrounding villages had access to knowledge on the Sharingan. While it wasn't exactly curriculum since the Uchiha were no longer a threat for the past ten years or so, it wouldn't have been surprising if she had learned counters to his eyes from an industrious tutor or an obscure book. She had enough cognitive ability to pre-emptively break his Genjutsu instead of detecting it and ''then'' breaking it. And she had enough sense to reduce eye contact with him in battle. Densetsu instinctively grasped that she held basic knowledge of the uses of the Sharingan, but that she would not be able to latch onto his own applications of it, or towards the subtler, more personalized aspects every individual wielder was granted.
+Unless he allowed her to.
+He had already taken in his surroundings while he had waited for her to join him here, up to the point she had dispelled his attack. He had good enough knowledge to maneuver himself should certain senses be robbed. After fighting sound based assailants, he knew the importance of fighting with most of his senses deprived.
+The tender heat of the sun bathed him, as he allowed himself to enjoy a gentle breeze sweeping through the trees before making his move. With a flick of his wrist the projectile streaked through the air and towards Hina's face, where her umbrella protected her eye-line.
+His now empty fingers formed the seal, as the explosive tag responded to his chakra midway between him and Hina, dispersing the shrapnel in a wide range in order to force her response. But as the tag detonated, Densetsu [[Body Flicker Technique|flickered]] into non-existence, a plume of gravel and dust exploding where he had stood initially. But as just as the dust from his shift emerged, Densetsu reappeared — his speed shocking the onlookers around them, drawing gasps.
+He had now re-positioned on Hina's right, closing the distance between them from long range to a more medium range. She now had two targets to deal with: shrapnel from the inanimate, but now detonated kunai, and Densetsu on the right. His Sharingan swiveled wildly, while the pupils darted left and right, reading the mildest twitches in her forearms, the protrusion of her tendons in the wrists and the  movements of her joints. He'd be able to see a trick before it came and he'd then be able to react adequately when the sleight of hand was performed.
+----
+With the kunai having exploded only a few meters away from her, Hina had little time to dodge the surprise attack. Making a split-second decision, she swiveled around and crouched, so that she was facing away from the oncoming shrapnel and her umbrella was protecting her entire rear flank; during this maneuver, she caught a glimpse of Densetsu moving to her right, which was now her left. Funneling her chakra into the olive-colored umbrella, she made it into the equivalent of a sturdy shield. With a series loud thuds, the shrapnel pellets hit the chakra-infused umbrella, only to bounce off and fall to the dirt below, leaving Hina—as well as her umbrella—undamaged.
+Seeing Densetsu closing the gap between them on her left, Hina anticipated an attack: The exploding kunai was only a diversion and now she was a sitting duck. Thinking quickly, she determined that her best course of action was to set up her own surprise counterattack, as simply throwing projectiles at a Sharingan wielder in stationary defense likely wouldn't turn out in her favor. With no time to spare, Hina took a deep breath and released a cloud of thick, [[Water Release: Dark Fog|grey-black fog]] from her mouth, rendering visibility of her to absolute zero, while simultaneously stowing away her umbrella in the obi sash wrapped around her waist. Hidden by the dark fog enveloping her, she quickly weaved the hand seals: ''Ram → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake.''
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 17:14, October 13, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+''Hare, boar, rat, snake.''
+Densetsu's fingers whipped together in less than a second as he detected the muscles of her cheeks contracting, inhaling loudly as his entire person enlarged, expelling his chakra through his own pursed lips. As a fog burst out to protect Hina, Densetsu's own attack tore straight through it. Dozens of [[Wind Release: Invisible Torrent|projectiles]] of wind distorted the air in front of him, as they tore through the thick fog towards Hina's last location. However unlike a more precise attack, this Wind Release technique sacrificed raw precision for projectile quantity and speed. The barrage was unrelenting, each staccato burst sending dozens of projectiles in just a second, with erratic and purposely random pauses for quick breaths.
+Unlike the infamous [[Hiding in Mist Technique|Kirigakure]] assassination technique employed by the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Hina's own smokescreen was of a more limited range, though much thicker. This meant that Densetsu's heavy visual advantages would be nullified if he were to allow the fog to envelop him; nullified to a far greater extent than the Hiding in the Mist ability, which still granted his eyes most of its perks at the cost of only range. Densetsu's Sharingan had allowed him to analyze the nature of Hina's technique though, so he was able to ascertain it was a [[Water Release]] ability: he could now also copy it with his Sharingan. She had created that barrier between his eyes and her movements precisely because she was planning a surprise attack or setting up an elaborate trap; either with her bukijutsu or her Water Release. It would make sense for her to utilize the Water Release as well, given that she had expelled a moderate amount of water for fog.
+Armed with his Sharingan, there was one more major advantage that Densetsu actually possessed. His [[Sensing Technique|sensory]] abilities. The moment Hina stepped out of her bubble of vision obscuring chakra or she launched an attack past its boundaries, Densetsu would be able to detect the anomaly and he'd be ready to react.
+As he continued spewing projectiles into Hina's fog while slowly backing away to stay clear of its range, his hands now formed a different set of hand seals.
+----
+Inside her cloud of dark fog, Hina didn't even see the wind bullets whiz past her, but she could hear them coming. Making no effort to dodge, she waited until several of the bullets struck her, some of them grazing her legs and others colliding with her arms and chest. Suddenly, she [[Body Replacement Technique|vanished]]—unscathed—leaving only a small puddle of water behind in the center of the cloudy fog.
+As Densetsu continued to barrage her dark fog, Hina appeared off-road in the forest nearby. Ahead of her, she saw Densetsu's back facing towards her; from the looks of it, he was completely unaware that she had used a substitution, but she had to act fast before her cloud of fog dissipated. Silently, she [[Body Flicker Technique|body flickered]] up to a nearby branch, balancing on it with ease. Through the leaves of the other trees she could barely make out Densetsu, implying that he was out in the open whereas she was still very much hidden from his line of sight.
+Crouching, Hina swung upside-down so that her legs were wrapped around the tree branch and her body was suspended midair—the flaps of her dress, as well as her hair flowed downwards in accordance to the laws of gravity. Carefully, she brought her left arm to eye level, aiming her {{Nw|Wrist-Mounted Senbon Launcher}} right at the back of Densetsu's head. Ordinarily, she'd shoot a senbon into her opponent's head, resulting in a quick, silent kill, but since this was a duel, she'd have to make adjustments and target one of the pressure points in the neck, which would temporarily paralyze the target if struck. Swapping out her thicker senbon for a smaller needle, Hina refocused her aim, intending to strike the pressure point in her adversary's neck. In the event she missed the pressure point, the tiny needle was also coated in a soft paralysis poison, which would still give Hina more than enough time to finish the job.
+Concentrating her breathing, Hina anticipated her heartbeat and [[Prepared Needle Shot|pulled the string of her launcher]], sending the tiny, invisible needle flying through the tree leaves at remarkable speed. The senbon launcher greatly enhanced speed, accuracy, and penetrating power, and the tiny needle made no noise as it sped towards Densetsu's blindspot.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 16:00, October 18, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+The senbon landed, as to the neutral observer it seemed like the match had been decided. But all of a sudden the projectile bounced off, landing with an almost unnoticeable thud on the soft soil; as chunks of a hard substance started dropping from Densetsu's flesh, landing beside the senbon.
+The hand seals he had woven had allowed him to [[Toad Moistened Body Technique|create]] a coat of armor for himself which could be hardened at will: something he preferred to use when immobilizing opponents. While powerless against techniques infused with penetrative natures such as Lightning or Wind and most elemental attacks, it was more than enough to take a single senbon or to dampen physical blows.
+But of course, Densetsu had been able to sense her the moment she broke through her vision obscuring fog. Her exact location. Setting up behind him for a sneak attack. He'd be able to detect any other clones or chakra rigged tricks she had up her sleeve as well. With his sensory capabilities, he didn't have to even tilt his neck to know where she was, as the muscles in his thighs rippled underneath his combat fatigues. For a moment he seemed to sway briefly, his body leaning forward as if to fall to the ground...
+And before the senbon could hit the ground with its ever-so-gentle thud, green [[Smoke Bomb|smoke]] had exploded all around Densetsu, exploding in an arc around his location, seeming to spread towards his left. A blur of motion emerged on Hina's side within the briefest moment. Densetsu propelled himself toward her in midair, apparently having closed down the distance between them in a frighteningly short time—his lean hand stretching forward to reach for her upside down face, swirling Sharingan breaking down every single movement she could attempt to make.
+----
+Caught off-guard by Densetsu's burst of speed, Hina widened her eyes in surprise, as the young man came right at her, fingers outstretched. With his hand mere inches from her face, she caught a glimpse of the beautiful tomoe that decorated his scarlet-red eyes, as his head now occupied a sizable portion of her vision. She hadn't expected him to anticipate, yet alone counter her attack and turn the tables in his favor so suddenly. Not to mention, the speed at which he had reacted and his ability to close the gap between them so quickly, forced Hina to now make a series of split-second decisions.
+With little time to do much of anything, Hina instinctively [[Prepared Needle Shot|spit a needle]] from her mouth towards Densetsu's general direction, as she simultaneously uncoiled her legs from the tree branch she was hanging from, allowing gravity to send her plummeting to the ground below and giving her an opportunity to escape for the time being. As she fell from the tall tree with her back facing towards the ground, she reached behind her and removed her umbrella from her obi, deploying it and allowing herself to recover as she gently floated to the forest floor.
+No sooner had the heels of her sandals touched the soft blades of grass, did Hina quickly assume a crouching position, as she closed her umbrella and funneled chakra into the soles of her feet before [[Body Flicker Technique|dashing away]] at high speed, heading towards the nearby stream she'd passed earlier in the day. The creek led to a beautiful waterfall at the edge of a cliff on the small mountain they were on. It was there that she'd attempt to gain the upper hand.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 20:56, October 25, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+A cloud of smoke exploded where '[[Shadow Clone Technique|Densetsu]]' had been hit with the senbon. The original Densetsu stood calmly behind the now dissipating green smoke bombs, where he had launched his clone. He watched as she blasted off, still tracking her movements. He had a good idea of her abilities and her combat style now, having taken the time to analyze her speed and the way she utilized her abilities. She had exquisitely precise aim and relied on speed to complement her deft positioning. Traits she used to outmaneuver her opponents and strike their weak spots: Perhaps compensation for her lack of sheer brute strength. Densetsu reckoned that a certain aptitude for mathematics helped her with her projectile use, as she had a crafty knack for creating off angles to properly exploit. She also had at least one elemental release in her locker with the Water Release already being displayed, but Densetsu was guessing her actual chakra reserves were not humongous in nature - she took great care to pace her attacks and expend as little chakra as possible. So far in the match her tactics revolved around misdirection and counterattacks, which possibly meant that she was creating another show on a different stage.
+He decided to oblige her.
+Densetsu followed quickly as his clone dissipated, using his eyes and senses to keep up with the retreating Hina; until coming into view of a waterfall.
+Of course, his first instinct was to take into consideration that she was possibly guiding him to an arena where her Water Release could be properly utilized. Even with average chakra reserves, users of the Water Release could boost their abilities greatly by having large sources of water nearby. Academy textbooks and countless riverbank and ocean-side battles had taught Densetsu this lesson; drilled it into his head. Of course, he took quick notes of his surroundings: a cliff greeted him, but more calming was the isolation from the crowd that had gathered to watch their duel. It was therapeutic to battle without an audience. Freedom from his shackles in some respects.
+The cliff and water also played to Densetsu's own strengths: Maneuverability and the Water Release.
+----
+Coming to edge of the river, Hina rushed across the riverbank, stepping onto the water itself and following it to the edge of the cliff—Densetsu wasn't far behind. The mist from the waterfall dampened her skin and her feet were made wet from the rapids beneath her. Carefully dancing around slippery stones and jagged rocks, she finally reached the edge of the cliff; a lone hawk was soaring high in the clear, blue sky above her.
+Not even stopping for a moment, Hina quickened her pace—umbrella in hand—as she daringly charged  the summit of the waterfall. Deploying her umbrella at just the right moment, she caught a slight breeze which lifted her feet off the water itself and gently carried her away through the air, bringing her up higher than she had expected and allowing her a crystal-clear view of the lake below and the waterfall several meters beneath her. At the cliff where she was moments earlier was Densetsu, who had already caught up to her—if she had ran any slower, she wouldn't have made it in time.
+As she gently floated downwards towards the small lake 23 meters below her, Hina analyzed her surroundings with what little time she had. She didn't know how deep the water was at the base of the waterfall (but it seemed quite shallow) and she didn't know if there were rocks below, but she could see the forest wrapping around the lake, and there was more than enough water for her to use for her ninjutsu. Turning her attention to Densetsu, she smiled at him pretentiously, as she unleashed her attack.
+Pressing a small button on the handle of her umbrella, Hina [[May Rain Blood River|released a barrage of deadly senbon]] which dispersed and covered an even wider area after she twirled the handle with her fingers. Aimed in Densetsu's general direction, the volley of deadly needles rained down from the sky onto his location; a surprise attack headed towards him that came only moments after Hina had been running so quickly away from him.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 17:04, October 27, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+Densetsu barely had just enough time to react as the muscles around her fingers twitched around the umbrella's handle, his fingers forming the 'ram' hand sign to summon his [[Pentagon Barrier|shield]]. A transparent blue hue exploded into existence, hissing and shimmering as it met the senbon shower head on, scattering the projectiles in different directions but keeping the crouching Densetsu safe at the center.
+But his quick thoughts were already focused on two things: a more elaborate bukijutsu trap that could have been set up, or a wide scale Water Release technique that she could employ while she was midair. Densetsu realized there were three main ways she could manipulate the water around them. She would either utilize the moisture in the air, the water supply around and under him or fire a technique directly at him from her higher vantage point. As such, his first priority would be to remove the environmental advantage that she had most definitely acquired by shifting the location of their battle.
+While the senbon clashed with his barrier, the Uchiha's nimble fingers flashed to shift between dozens of hand signs within less than two seconds before his palms tapped the surface of water beneath his feet. Almost immediately a small shockwave seemed to reverberate through the air as the waters swirled to heed his call. The water around him burst upwards, obscuring him from Hina's sight as it twisted and turned, more and more water being added to this rapidly growing and rising mass which was coiling more and more, until it assumed a terrifying and serpentine appearance.
+''[[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique]].''
+The coils of flowing and roaring water now stood about six meters in the air as a huge dragon was birthed from the river, looming over Hina as it seemed poised to rain down on her with alarming force. But at the head of this dragon emerged something more bizarre, as a small figure blasted out from its watery head. A [[Water Clone Technique|copy]] of Densetsu again shot out of the water dragon, straight towards the floating Hina, while the dragon remained stationary, almost as if biding its time to strike.
+Meanwhile, the real Densetsu had already made his way sideways to the river bank, where he kept Hina within full range of his view, anticipating her future attacks.
+----
+Seeing her surprise attack having no effect on her adversary annoyed Hina greatly, but also worried her. First off, her [[Wrist-Mounted Senbon Launcher|senbon-sniper shot]] had failed and Densetsu was simply able to create a mysterious sort of [[Toad Moistened Body Technique|armor]] to negate the attack. Unfortunately for Hina, she didn't have enough time to analyze the jutsu and so it's properties remained unclear to her. Now Densetsu had revealed the existence of a [[Pentagon Barrier|Barrier Ninjutsu]] in his defensive arsenal, which he summoned quickly and used to negate her [[May Rain Blood River|second surprise attack.]] Thirdly, she had to deal with Densetsu's [[Sharingan]], which alone posed a variety of threats—especially for one such as herself, who possessed no kekkei genkai. To Hina's dismay, the [[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique|water dragon]] he had just summoned meant that he was proficient in [[Water Release]] ninjutsu: Her only chakra nature. This meant that, not only could he copy her shurikenjutsu movements, but he could also copy her ninjutsu. To top it all off, she didn't possess the chakra, nor chakra control required to perform the water dragon technique, so she feared that this Densetsu character was perhaps even more adept at using her own elemental nature. It was frustrating how gifted he was.
+With the intimidating water dragon looming over her, Hina was caught off-guard when what appeared to be Densetsu came blasting towards her from out of the dragon's head. Reacting quickly to the diversion, she slipped the fingers of her free hand under her dress and removed two senbon from the band around her right thigh. In a flash, she threw the senbon right at the clone, striking it twice in the head and causing it to revert to its watery state before falling 20 meters down to the lake below. Meanwhile, the water dragon had taken its opportunity to strike while Hina was preoccupied.
+As the water dragon zeroed in on Hina's location, the young kunoichi knew she could remain airborne no longer—she was a sitting duck. Closing her umbrella midair, she began to free-fall to the water below; the water dragon was right on her tail. In an effort to descend safely, she pointed her umbrella at the rocks scaling the side of the cliff, before pressing another button on its handle and firing the actual tip of the umbrella, which revealed itself to be a wired senbon. With a thud made inaudible by the crashing sounds of water, the wired senbon stuck into the rocky wall, allowing Hina to swing at high speed from the summit of the cliff down to the lake below. As she came to the water, she skid upon it's surface in a crescent-shaped arc; her momentum was still pushing her forward horizontally. With another click of the button, the wired senbon retracted, spiraling wildly and dangerously before returning to it's original position within her umbrella. Coming to a stop, Hina stood on the surface of the water. She could see now that the lake was neither deep, nor shallow, but about a depth of 5 meters.
+After taking the briefest moment to collect herself, the water dragon swooped down to attack Hina, as it lunged from above in her direction below. Flipping backwards twice, she narrowly dodged the dragon, before it crashed into the surface of the lake. No sooner had Hina landed her second flip did it emerge from the water beneath her, biting the bottom fringe of her dress as it hurled itself into the air. Descending quickly, it slammed into the water surface, carrying Hina down along with it—completely submerging the young kunoichi. As she collided with the water she yelled out in pain, although her voice was muffled by the water surrounding her. Upon breaching the surface of the water, the sheer force of the impact caused the piece of Hina's dress in the dragon's mouth to rip, freeing the disorientated woman from the water-monster's clutches as it carried the fabric away in its teeth. Forcing her eyes to refocus on what was in front of her, Hina could make out the dragon swiftly swimming towards her at alarming speed: This would be its final offense.
+Stuck in the water with no surface to push off from, Hina was in a very bad spot. If she tried to swim to the surface, she feared she wouldn't make it in time and the dragon could always change direction. Making a split second decision, she flung a high-velocity, chakra-enhanced senbon above her in the direction of the water surface. Although the projectile was greatly slowed down due to the water, it still moved quite fast and broke the surface of the water, flying 4 meters into the air. Quickly now, Hina weaved the handseals: Ram → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake. Making it just in the nick of time, Hina completed the snake handseal right as the water dragon collided with her at full speed, causing her to [[Body Replacement Technique|disappear]], leaving a small senbon behind. With it's chakra all but spent, the water dragon dissipated and joined the mass of formless water that made up the lake.
+Meanwhile, Hina appeared where the senbon had previously been: 4 meters up in the air. Landing softly on the watery surface in a crouching position, Hina fell on all fours, panting quickly. Her expensive qipao dress was partially torn, revealing much of her left leg and exposing a portion of the band of senbon that wrapped around her upper-left thigh. Her hair and entire body was drenched and a slight breeze on the water sent chills down her spine. Looking to her right, she noticed her umbrella floating on the water. It was torn, bent, and broken into two pieces—utterly destroyed. Finding her strength, Hina forced herself to stand, raising one leg up after another. Still panting, she looked up to the top of the waterfall where she spotted a tiny Densetsu who had been observing the entire ordeal from afar. While he was standing at the top of the waterfall, dry, warm, and unscathed, she was freezing at the bottom of the lake, utterly soaked and with torn clothes. Upset with his natural talent and chakra giftedness, Hina bit her lip and clenched her fists.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 19:09, November 1, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+And of course, Densetsu could see her frustration as well. The Sharingan had been christened as eyes that could see the future, mainly because of the predictive abilities they granted a skilled user, or their ability to magnify the smallest details to the greatest possible degree of clarity.
+By maintaining a clear visual field and keeping aware of his surroundings to avoid being baited by clone techniques, he continued to keep Hina firmly within his reach. He could read her movements and prepare adequately, but he almost had a full picture of her capabilities at this point. Hina Hitoame was a brilliant kunoichi with her frightening knack for strategy and deception in battle, despite lacking the raw, uncompromising power that seemed to plague the shinobi world in the modern age. He had no doubt that she would be a formidable commander in Amegakure's arsenal should they ever call upon her services. Densetsu could remember her village's leader Pain, the awe inspiring terror that the Rinnegan wielder had inspired in all was something not easily submerged...it disturbed him that the Akatsuki kingpin had access to so many talented underlings.
+He formed a solitary shadow atop the waterfall, the bright sunny day combining with the eerie glow of his red eyes to cast him in a nearly villainous light. The villain watched as his opponent labored, muscles in her neck contracting as her lungs begged for the air necessary to sustain her after her herculean endeavors. Her body gently trembling, her muscles giving off the odd twitch as lactic acid certainly built up in them. To any onlookers, his assaults might have been overkill to say the least, given that his adversary was taking him on with shinobi tools and basic elemental techniques.
+A frown crept on Densetsu's face.
+He had sprung her traps, danced around her trickery, doggedly hunted after her and purposely fought her on her own turf...all to break her, to give her a taste of her own medicine for all the insults she had hurled his way in the dango shop. But through narrowed eyes and a face squirming in irritation, he saw the delicate girl force herself to stand again.
+The broken umbrella and its splinters bobbed in the water around Hina. Densetsu's frown tightened. She was the aggressor, she had demanded the duel, why was ''he'' feeling the guilt? His position atop the waterfall to secure the high ground, this dominant posture, the sheer strength of his attack which had forced his opponent into such a hasty retreat...why did all these bother him even more?
+"What are you trying to prove, Hina Hitoame?"
+Densetsu's voice echoed from atop the waterfall, clear and piercing despite having to combat the thunderous waterfall.
+----
+Having heard Densetsu's words boom over the sounds of crashing water, Hina observed him from the bottom of the waterfall; she was planning her next move. Still panting, she took into account his question and muttered quietly to herself, "That you and your village are nothing more than a lousy bunch of privileged, self-indulgent leeches with hero-complexes." Exhaling one controlled breath, Hina prepared to attack. This time, she would be the one pressuring him; this time, she would show him that outstanding chakra and visual prowess weren't everything in the midst of combat.
+Reaching for the holster tied to her upper-right arm, Hina removed a slip of paper. If it weren't for the holster's water-resistant material and design, its contents would have been completely soaked and ruined. With the small sheet held in between her index and middle fingers, she stuck her arm out to the side. Forming the seal of confrontation, she released the fūinjutsu seal on the slip of paper and with a puff of smoke, an arm-length, straight-edged [[Fūma Shuriken]] appeared in her right hand; the paper she had been holding fell into the water.
+With a series of dedicated movements, Hina twirled about—shuriken in hand—before releasing the projectile from her grip, having thrown it like a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discus_throw discus] and enhancing it with her chakra. At alarming speed and carrying with it incredible power, the shuriken whizzed upwards, traveling in an arc towards Densetsu. Controlling it with her chakra, she increased its overall speed and bent its trajectory, forcing it to ride with the current of the wind as it reached the summit of the cliff and spiraled in Densetsu's direction, coming from his left flank.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 17:11, November 5, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+The buildup between the summoning of the weapon and Hina hurling it at him had given Densetsu enough time to work out a subtle counterattack, as his fingers slipped back out of his weapon pouch, rolling two globes in between his spindly fingers. He had to time this properly, as his muscles twitched and then tensed in response to reading her movements—his eyes' tracking movements focused on Hina even as the Fuma shuriken seared through layers of air towards him at speeds one wouldn't expect the lean kunoichi to be able to muster. His options were increasingly limited, as he could not risk taking his eyes off her for the briefest moment, out of fear of her being given the time to set up a new trap. Instead of recalling another barrier and giving the woman time to decode his arsenal's weak spots, Densetsu decided to again switch up his fighting style and give her the advantage she seemed to seek—eliminating his geographical advantage.
+By the time the Fuma shuriken reached his periphery the ground beneath his feet [[Chakra Flow|glowed briefly]] in a brilliant display of orange, red and yellow; as [[Fire Release|flames]] propelled him into the air and away from the projectile weapon. But this too would be a litmus test: as the Fuma shuriken continued spinning towards his location. He hadn't been able to see the reflection of the sunlight upon any wire strings, meaning that it was her own skill and chakra that was manipulating this projectile.
+The first of the two spheres slipped from his palm downwards just as he completed a graceful midair somersault, and a cloud of [[Smoke Bomb|smoke]] again burst into the air, before he launched the other [[Flash Bomb|globe]] through the smoke. Instantly there was an explosion of light, which would seem to blind both opponents in the conventional sense—robbing them of their vision, however the attack was not done. Densetsu could still sense her after all. He did not need his eyes to peer through smoke and blinding light.
+Hina would hear the very same sound she had heard when Densetsu had leapt off the cliff to evade her shuriken. The high pitch cackle that seemed to resemble an explosion, but at a much smaller scale. He was after all, using a very limited version of his [[Fire Release Cloak]], merely channeling his Fire Release to boost his own speed instead of coating himself with it. In midair, Densetsu erupted through the smoke, pinpoint chakra control allowing him to redirect his momentum in the air and propel himself towards Hina at terrifying speed; body twisting to a position that made him look like a bullet, close to the surface of the water. His hands began to reach forward, while another burst of flame was expelled from his feet, sending water blasting outwards in the shape of a shockwave with a loud bang. It seemed as though he was finally trying to grab her and attempt to force their duel to a decisive stage.
+----
+Because Densetsu had propelled himself across the water at such alarming speed, Hina had little time to react. Crossing her arms in front of her, she braced herself as the young man crashed into her. Simply because of his speed, his attack carried much greater weight than it otherwise would have. Her feet sliding backwards across the surface of the water, Hina was barely able to mitigate the blow, although Densetsu was already well on his way into making his followup attack.
+No sooner had Densetsu made contact with Hina's arms did he back-flip off of her before landing quickly on the water and continuing his assault with a series of punches. Recovering from the impact of his collision with her, Hina dodged and blocked his punches, trying to create space between the two of them—she was a mid to long-range fighter, so allowing Densetsu to pressure her up close was not favorable. However, despite her not being an expert in taijutsu, she was far from a novice, and proceeded to form her own counterattacks to his onslaught.
+As Densetsu swung at her head, Hina ducked and spun her leg around, [[Leaf Gale|sweeping at his feet]] and hoping to catch him off-guard in order to unbalance him. However, with his trained reflexes and visual prowess, Densetsu was able to jump over her counterattack, before spinning in the air and bringing down a devastating kick aimed at Hina's right shoulder. Unfortunately for him, she narrowly escaped his attack, so his foot crashed into the water. Flipping backwards once, Hina created a small amount of distance between the two of them and began weaving handseals for a water release ninjutsu, but before she could complete the series of seals, Densetsu interrupted her by rushing forward and taking hold of her right hand.
+For a whole minute the two battled back and forth, using only taijutsu; Densetsu preferred using his arms, and Hina preferred kicking with her legs. During that time, Densetsu had landed a few hits on Hina, but she had failed to strike him even once. She had tried incorporating more acrobatic, aerial movements into her attacks and defense maneuvers, spinning and flipping while performing highly advanced shurikenjutsu, but Densetsu was able to dodge every senbon, shuriken, and kunai. Every time she tried to weave handseals, he prevented her from doing so. Of course, she wasn't used to fighting an opponent without being able to look at them directly, so the accuracy of her shuriken placement suffered and she wasn't able to land a single one.
+Against any other opponent, Hina's aerial shurikenjutsu would've been effective, as she was able to attack with shuriken and senbon at incredibly unorthodox and unpredictable angles, all while spinning and flipping in the air. Unfortunately for her, her opponent was a proficient wielder of the sharingan, so he was able to anticipate each and every one of her attacks. It wasn't long until she had exhausted her stamina with her lower than average chakra reserves and subpar taijutsu; meanwhile, Densetsu showed no signs of fatigue.
+Unable to react quick enough due to fatigue, Hina was quite overwhelmed when Densetsu rushed in, enabling him to land one, devastating punch into Hina's gut. As she dropped to her knees in pain, she was powerless to stop him from pinning her arms behind her back and forcing her to her stomach. Struggling in vain, Hina fought against his clutches, but the young man refused to loosen his hold on her.
+"It's over," Densetsu remarked coolly, "no more games."
+Looking at the struggling girl beneath him, Densetsu saw as she turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye: She was smiling. In an instant, the young kunoichi dissolved into water and returned to the surface they were standing on. It was just as he had predicted: She was a [[Water Clone Technique|Water Clone]].
+Just as Hina's clone dissipated, a senbon emerged from the base of the waterfall, striking Densetsu in the back. In an instant, the Densetsu [[Shadow Clone Technique|Shadow Clone]] dissipated in a puff of smoke. Apparently, both parties had relied on their respective clones for their taijutsu engagement. Suddenly, Hina's body began to manifest as it [[Water Release: Hiding in Water Technique|rose up out of the water]] near the base of the waterfall.
+Walking out to where the two clones had just battled, Hina paused and cleared her throat, "You seem to have the tendency of using shadow clones after distractions or diversions. The first time you used one was after you used a smoke bomb. The second time you used one was after your water dragon. The third time you used one was after you used smoke bombs combined with flash bombs. You're quite predictable really. You always use them as a diversion for your attacks after an incredibly obvious distraction. It's a shame that such simple-mindedness is gifted with so much undeserved power."
+Concluding her analysis of him and continuing with a detailed explanation the young kunoichi added, "Oh, and just in case your wondering when ''I'' made a water clone, when I used the [[Body Replacement Technique]] to switch places underwater earlier—when fighting your water dragon—I actually swapped places with a senbon that was stuck to the side of the waterfall cliff from my earlier umbrella attack. Then, I quickly made a clone that swapped places with the senbon above the water dragon, making it seem like the real me was the one who fought your clone. Now I've gathered enough intelligence on your fighting style and taijutsu proficiency to know that I should try to avoid close-quarters engagements with you, for surely you would hold the upper hand, as we clearly saw for ourselves."
+Upon concluding her monologue of sorts, Hina reached into the back of the bag tied to her obi sash and removed a small scroll, holding it in her right hand. "Reveal yourself, Densetsu!" she shouted as she grew impatient.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 19:58, November 18, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+"Brains and beauty. Bravo," came Densetsu's voice; a series of loud claps came ringing in the air, as Hina would see the real Densetsu upon the river bank, applauding her analysis. His ankles were still in the ground as he seemed to [[Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique|rise]] from the soil. Carefully he hopped over to a large rock, dusting it as he propped himself upon it and exhaled, finding what comfort he could from the less than home-like excuse for a seat. He rubbed his hands together and rolled his eyes. "You know, if we'd have met in different circumstances and your tongue hadn't been so coarse, I may have considered taking you out for a candle light dinner." She was not amused.
+While his demeanor was exaggerated, his calm was not. He deflected Hina's attacks on his patterns of combat with ease, while digesting her analysis of his past tactics. But despite her persistence and stubborn deviousness, Densetsu stopped from retorting with his own analysis of her abilities. Right now he had to prevent Hina from knowing about his abilities as a sensor, as that was keeping him very comfortable, essentially knowing when and where she would set something up against him. Much like him, Hina used clones to bait out her opponent's utility; and to also give herself second chances to prevent a straight up battle and probe for any subtle weakness. It was working well for him that she was abstaining from close range combat, as he was by nature a mid to long range combatant. He would just have to adjust and use this predictability to his advantage...as he had one more good trick to use on her. He had surveyed the terrain too, so he was familiar with the local ground, confident enough to use it well against her.
+He decided to probe further, hoping to rile her, an arrogant smirk creeping up on his face. "Offer still stands. You could drop the request for me to kiss your feet and instead, ask me to get you out for dinner."
+----
+Shifting her eyes in the direction of Densetsu, Hina's facial expression was that of a most-irritated woman; it was blatantly obvious that she didn't find his snarky comments amusing. As she turned her body to face his, she placed her left hand on her hip and shifted her weight onto her left leg. "This guy ''really'' thinks he's all that..." she thought to herself, "I suppose it's to be expected, but does his arrogance truly know no bounds?"
+"As if I'd ever ''actually'' let to put your disgusting mouth near me!" Hina sharply declared, obviously repulsed by his condescending attitude. "However," she blushed slightly and shut her eyes in embarrassment, commenting sheepishly, "Though I hate to admit it, you Uchiha are quite handsome." A moment of awkward silenced passed between the two before Hina realized what she had really just said. Watching Densetsu grinning with his ever-so-smug face, Hina lost her temper.
+"Enough!" she shouted, as she crouched on the surface of the water and [[Body Flicker Technique|vanished]] in the blink of an eye, appearing upside-down several meters in the air above her prior location. With a wave of her right hand, the scroll she was holding unraveled, revealing a long trail of [[Enclosing Technique|fūinjutsu markings]]. Spinning the tail of the scroll around herself, she "danced" midair as she spun and placed her hands on all the different seals, [[Unsealing Technique|releasing]] their contents in quick succession. From each seal shot out an [[Umbrella]]—some similar to and some different than the one she had carried with her earlier. Several launched themselves high into the sky, while some of the others shot down to the ground.
+The umbrellas headed towards the ground had sharp, spear-like spikes which stuck out of their tips. Aimed at Densetsu, the first umbrella whizzed through the air, forcing him to quickly prop himself up, as he dodged the incoming attack. Narrowly avoiding the umbrella, the rock he had been sitting on was completely shattered and utterly destroyed. As each umbrella that was headed downwards attempted to penetrate Densetsu, he dodged them all, causing them to crash into the dirt and rocks of the riverbank. These umbrellas stuck into the ground, so that their tips were embedded in the earth. Densetsu kept dodging them one after the other.
+Meanwhile, some of the other umbrellas—which had been launched into the sky—had reached their highest point of elevation. Other, pre-deployed umbrellas had been shot out beneath Hina and rested upside down on the water's surface. Seeing that everything was set, Hina began the next phase of her jutsu.
+Configuring her hands and fingers into a single tiger handseal, Hina initiated her jutsu. "[[Senbon Shower]]: Hitoame Style!"
+In an instant, every umbrella deployed itself through use of Hina's own chakra. The umbrellas in the sky opened wide, casting a shadow down on Hina and Densetsu, and began to gently float in the air. The umbrellas with the spear tips embedded in the shore opened as well. The already-open umbrellas, which floated lightly on the water, began to spin rapidly. Suddenly, from each and every umbrella, senbon were ejected. The senbon fired from all directions, not only zeroing in on Densetsu's general location, but also covering most of the nearby water and shore in a volley of senbon thick enough to resemble that of a locust swarm in the desert. A shadow loomed overhead, as thousands of needles rained from the umbrellas in the sky, shot out from the umbrellas on the shore, and rose from the umbrellas in the water.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 20:52, November 19, 2020 (UTC)
+=='''The Leaf on Rainwater'''==
+''On the bright side, looks like I can fight in the shade,'' Densetsu thought to himself, as darkness spread over the waterfall. He could tell that Hina had no clones in the immediate vicinity, her chakra signature only emanated from her seals and her floating being. Bending over, he picked up a flat stone about the size of his palm and threw it into the river ahead.
+Ever agile, Densetsu nimbly vaulted over another set of large rocks and boulders further behind the shoreline; just as the hail of senbon surged at him, his demon like speed seeming to surpass even that of the chakra guided senbon. He appeared over the rocks a mere second later, only to be hit by a barrage of senbon from the opposite direction—head on. A cloud of smoke quickly accompanied the thuds made by dozens of senbon piercing 'flesh', as a [[Body Replacement Technique|chunk of rock]] dropped onto the ground where Densetsu had supposedly stood.
+The hail of senbon continued to pour down onto his last known location, impaling rock and hard ground, filling the air with metallic screeching and low thuds as the inanimate soil seemed to whine, protesting Hina's relentless assault.
+But Hina would have little time to appreciate the trickery that had taken place as a massive plume of smoke blasted forth towards her from her rear, seemingly at the waterfall's base. If one was a sensor type they'd note Densetsu's chakra completely burning through the plume, which spread quickly around the waterfall and around the area Hina had launched her attack. It seemed to be a smokescreen, designed to hide Densetsu and allow him to defend himself from the senbon shower in a way that Hina would not be able to read.
+But the technique's true nature was more devious.
+It was actually a disguised [[Fire Release: Ash Cloud Apparition|Genjutsu]] designed to be inhaled by the opponent in order to paralyze them, which would allow its caster to gain a definitive upper hand, even if it was dispelled quickly. And the longer she spent in the plume, the more control Densetsu would have over her senses. With the plume rising upwards and quickly spreading to encompass their once tranquil arena, Hina would be engulfed in the impediment, unless she acted quickly. But this technique would still allow Densetsu to bypass her stream of guided senbon if she decided to give ground.
+He was, of course, underground by the waterfall's base, having used his Earth Release to burrow deep underground from behind the rocks earlier. The senbon were potent, but they couldn't reach the subterranean depths. This also prevented any potential wire string related complications, which Densetsu was most concerned about. He had limited himself to showcasing his Taijutsu and Clone Techniques. And of course, the odd ninjutsu. The only Genjutsu Hina would logically have to worry about were those cast by his Sharingan—as most were advised to worry about in old times when the Uchiha were far more common. As she had called out his usage of clones, Densetsu decided to play her game and delay the use of another clone technique—saving it in case she was able to detect the ruse behind the smokescreen.
+----
+Finishing her twirling dance in the air with her scroll still spiraling around her form, Hina's impressive senbon technique came to an end; the water around her was covered with umbrellas and the shore looked like a grey field of steel needles. Much to the young kunoichi's dismay, it appeared that her attack had no effect and she had failed to land even a single senbon out of the thousands she had used. Falling back down to the surface of the water below, she landed gracefully, causing only a slight rippling of the water. Frustrated, she bit her lip; this technique was one of her trump cards—rarely had it ever failed her. It was designed to encompass such a wide area, so escape should be nearly impossible, yet Densetsu not only managed to escape, but he suffered zero injuries in the process of doing so. She hated to admit it, but it was quite the impressive feat.
+Preparing for her next encounter, Hina took a deep breath to refocus herself and made to take a step forward when she suddenly realized that she couldn't. Unbeknownst to her, Densetsu's smokescreen had caught up to her from her blind spot and, upon inhaling some of the smoke, it had paralyzed her body. As the smoke moved past her and into her field of vision, Hina continued to struggle against the smoke paralysis, but her body could barely move. Unable to escape the smoke through normal means, she decided to release the chakra concentrated in her feet, causing her to plunge into the water below her; now the smokescreen was above the water where it couldn't reach her. However, after a few moments submerged, she realized that the paralysis effect still hadn't worn off, meaning that the smoke either had a lingering poison, or it was in fact a genjutsu. Seeing that dealing with the possibility of it being a genjutsu was the easier of the two option to try first, Hina concentrated a sizable amount of chakra within herself and released it, immediately freeing her from Densetsu's genjutsu.
+No sooner had she expelled the genjutsu was Hina able to move freely again. She hated the fact that she was once again submerged in water (seeing as how she had just finished drying off), but there was little she could do about it now. Swimming away from the location of the smoke, she emerged in a safer area, climbing above the water and kneeling on its surface. Once again, her hair and clothes were dripping wet... and she was freezing.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 12:57, December 6, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+It was then that Hina noticed it, a ripple other than that which was generated by her palms as she clamored onto the surface following Densetsu's attack. A malignant one that convinced Hina to raise her head, instinct warning her of impending danger. She had just enough time to roll away as Densetsu blasted in from the sky seemingly; an ominous purple glow emanated from his clenched fingers. As she rolled, the water she had perched on exploded upwards, obscuring her vision yet again; Densetsu sought to take advantage. Hina had just enough time to whip her wrist forward, thrusting a lone senbon into the cascading water in front of her, just as Densetsu's silhouette emerged from within, hurtling again towards her.
+Even with his own vision obscured by the consequence of his attack, it seemed that Densetsu's reflexes had again allowed him to overcome Hina's quick thinking; as he arched his neck to the left, allowing the projectile to whiz past his taut neck harmlessly, his extended knife hand sailing forward unchallenged in the havoc, striking Hina's exposed solar plexus.
+Densetsu realized he had been fooled when she didn't flinch, understanding exactly why she had been so quick to blind fire the senbon, but he was too late. Before 'Hina' had puffed away into a [[Body Replacement Technique|cloud of smoke]], his polished intuition allowed him to quickly turn to face his back: as his right hand gripped the top of his own head, protecting the side of his face and his neck, biceps contracting to help soften the inevitable blow, as his body tightened and bent low, left hand pressing to his blocking right to enforce it.
+Hina was already ''there'', as her outstretched shin barreled into Densetsu's right forearm, momentum generated by her shift and the torsion of her body ensuring that he was adequately punished for not being able to contract his muscles properly on time. Densetsu winced as the impact sent a jolt of pain upwards, his shoulder buckling for being unable to prepare for that kick on time. But as Densetsu's guard lowered ever so slightly in response to the throbbing pain, Hina failed to relent.
+She pressed her assault with almost reckless abandon, as though their initial exchange of taijutsu meant nothing—a growing sign of her desperation. As cold water rained down on the duo, she reached forward, slender fingers turning into talons almost as they clawed into Densetsu's scarred forearm, yanking him forward as he attempted to back away to create space.
+Densetsu grimaced as he was pulled forward, a lack of balance finally compromising the graceful stance he had maintained throughout, as finally, he realized; Hina was forcing an opening after exploiting his own eagerness to end the fight.
+As he staggered forward, Densetsu had only the briefest second to bring his free arm in front of his face, protecting his nose from a pale and slender white knee, as it hit his block with a crunch and the young kunoichi flipped backwards with one fluid motion. But before Hina could launch another quick attack at him, Densetsu wrestled his arm away from her grip, freeing himself and rocking her enough to stop her from launching yet another kick. He got low, raising both his arms as he got into a boxing stance, with his palms open instead of forming fists; in that instant, he took the fight to her. He jabbed his right palm into her left shoulder, where her supporting foot was, forcing her back and upsetting her balance as he quickly darted to her right. Swaying left and right to force her to follow his erratic movements, he faked a low attack before pushing forward when she reacted to guard against the fake.
+It was now Densetsu's turn to grab her by the forearm, as he quickly navigated his other hand to clasp the back of her shoulder, as he whirled to her side and tripped her, using her own momentum against her as he brought her crashing onto the water with a small splash; as she had been able to distribute her chakra just on time to avoid getting plunged into the water again. This gave Hina a crucial foothold as her hands emerged at her sides, preventing her from landing on her back after the trip.
+Yet Hina had smelled blood and the young woman's newly landed hits had filled her with incredible confidence.
+Upon being nearly floored, her leg stuck out, landing the strike on Densetsu's knee and forcing his to stagger, before dropping onto his afflicted knee. Before he could again put distance between them, she propelled herself at him with a shrill cry, channeling chakra to her feet to [[Body Flicker Technique|surge]] towards him in midair, rotating to launch an axe kick onto his skull.
+Densetsu leaned to the left, as the kick was brought down onto the water under him. Hina twisted to meet him. But experience had taught Densetsu a useful trick, as he danced around her again, forcing another rotation from her to keep him within her reach. But he had now forced her to navigate directly with the sun beating down on her face, behind him. The glare interrupted Hina's momentum, yet again she attempted to pummel the Uchiha, as she let out three quick jabs.
+He met them head on, bobbing backwards to dodge the quick first two, then launching his outstretched palm and patting her third jab downwards. Hina learned quickly, twisting another time to get the sun out of her face before preparing a left hook, seeking to confuse Densetsu with a baiting movement; but he had set up his own attack well. Two of his fingers whipped forward like a viper as she moved, bypassing her incoming hook to strike her right above her collarbone. Hina winced in pain as a muffled screech escaped from her clenched teeth, but now Densetsu followed up, his second strike was a fist, ramming into the same area, as the impact shook her entire right shoulder, neck and arm, forcing her to sway backwards. Densetsu saw the opening, moving in for a third strike, this time with a knuckle hand that seemed destined for the side of her neck, but Hina had reeled him in with this subtle feint. Taking advantage of his proximity whipped her left hand in a downward arc, bypassing the watchful gaze of his Sharingan in the havoc as his own attack seemed to have limited his field of vision.
+Her fingernails clawed into Densetsu's cheek, forcing him to turn away as his flesh split open, three streaks of white across his gaunt cheekbones as they quickly crimsoned. But she was not done. Before he could get those pesky eyes of his back into the fray, she leaped ahead, allowing her legs to scissor Densetsu's leading right foot, pulling both her legs in opposite directions, felling the young Konoha-nin as she landed on her sides, pulling him forward.
+The shock on his face was visible as he lurched forward and fell on top of her body, squirming quickly as his fingers fumbled over places he knew he wasn't supposed to in his mad attempts to get off her, but Hina Hitoame's sleeve held the cards now. Unabashed unlike the boy on top of her, she rolled to her side, as Densetsu attempted to roll away, mind set on exploiting his hesitation as slender and toned legs snapped open around the Uchiha's exposed neck as he rose, right leg wrapping around the side of his neck and left leg locking onto the ankle of the right. She tried to grab him in a classic triangle choke, and brought her hips up with a violent thrust.
+He was forced to yield to her will.
+Densetsu barely had enough time to gasp for air as he felt the pressure of the grapple compress his blood vessels, stinging his eyes and making the arteries in his temples throb. But through the corner of his eyes he saw Hina's hands rise, one hand gripping her ankle to increase the pressure on his neck, while the other hand rose behind her own head, three senbon sticking out between the her fingers, through a clenched fist.
+She would jab those into him immediately, he realized, while she had him locked down, unless he did something quickly. All the muscles in the arm which held the senbon tensed and twitched under the water droplets lining her smooth skin. But as she was about to lock the choke and cut off the blood supply to his brain, Densetsu postured up quickly, pumping the full strength within his legs to shoot up as high as possible, making it impossible for Hina to complete the lock and fully initiate the choke. The fist full of senbon came flying at him, but he used his right hand to swat at it wildly with an accompanying surge of chakra, knocking the three projectiles into the waters beside them as his other hand pressed upon her lower abdomen; joined quickly by the right hand. Together they pushed downwards in a fluid motion, allowing Densetsu an early escape from the incoming triangle lock, propping himself upright and putting space between himself and Hina.
+He gasped quickly and erratically, greedily sucking in the oxygen from the humid air as Hina coiled up, also breathing heavily; her expensive qipao completely soaked by the water and stained with sand and soil. Densetsu watched her reach beside her, realizing that one of the umbrellas was right beside her. His palms flickered together, the hand signs coming in; but Hina jumped at him again—in her hand was a sword which had been the handle of that particular umbrella. Densetsu ducked to his left as he now evaded the edge of the shining katana, wielded by Hina, as she swiped again for a follow through. Again, this missed Densetsu's shoulder as he nimbly sidestepped to his right. Reversing her grip to a most unorthodox one, Hina now slashed doggedly, left and right, right then left, upwards with a feint than towards the right; but Densetsu moved to counter each one perfectly, his Sharingan allowing him to quickly adapt as he guided their battle to the shore, with Hina pressing the assault, refusing to give him space despite having her attacks read. Judging by her kenjutsu skills, he could tell she wasn't an expert at using swords, but like most Jonin, her abilities in its use were still adept enough to contend in a fight.
+Densetsu understood her logic and she understood his. Hina would try to prevent Densetsu from getting too far from her, where his Sharingan could read the movement of ''all'' her muscles and where he would again utilize misdirection and ninjutsu to force her to expend even more energy. Densetsu could see it. And she knew he was trying to goad her into over-committing either with ninjutsu or taijutsu, so that he would be able to capitalize and then shut the fight down in one quick move. If she was careless with her bukijutsu, she knew he was waiting to pounce and force an opening; but she decided to throw caution to the wind. This brutal, upfront method coupled with non-linear feints and arcing movements would render her fighting style less predictable to his Sharingan, which thrived on following linear movements. With a series of spins and aerial twirls, Hina danced across the water as she pressured Densetsu, pushing him further and further back.
+Reaching the shore, metal clashed finally with metal, as a spring loaded mechanism on Densetsu's wrist allowed him to push a kunai into his palm. Sparks clashed as Hina furiously drove at Densetsu; her wide stance and aggressive footwork scattering pebbles across the riverbank in all directions, as the clang of metal pounded against the roaring waterfall behind. Densetsu responded by repeatedly parrying her sword, seeking to get at her from a blind spot where he could disarm her.
+Again seeing him charge at her, her teeth sank into her lips in frustration. Rage even. He was fighting all along to ''disarm'', not even hurt. How much some had been blessed, with wild abilities while she had always had it as an uphill climb, where there were no luxuries such as ''mercy'', where it was kill or be killed. Hina's world was a cold, desolate place; free of such concepts. Yet it seemed like this Leaf Uchiha had been blessed with it all.
+Her dislike bubbled to the surface as her voice turned gruff with desperation, eager to break his guard, to shatter that arrogant smug grin of his with the hilt of her sword and bring his face to her feet as she had threatened to at the Dango shop. That seemed to have been an eternity ago by now.
+Hina dove to the right, twirling her blade like a windmill as she made a feint for Densetsu's neck only to drive the blade downwards as she twisted to his right. She aimed for the tendon behind his thighs, but the Uchiha was quicker to react, pirouetting with grace that a stage performer would envy; her attack hitting air where an exposed thigh had been planted microseconds before.
+Both combatants paused a moment, panting as they eyed each other. The midday sun was scorching now, bathing them in warmth which was excessive, exacerbating her fatigue and gradually wearing down on Densetsu's smarting shoulder and cheek. Seeing the irritated glint in Hina's eye, the same irritating smirk drew across Densetsu's face, as he turned a question Hina's way, his Sharingan spinning.
+Hina's lips parted to reveal gnashing, gritted teeth when she heard it.
+"You're awfully soaked. Why don't you take a moment and sunbathe? I won't peek, pinky swear."
+She charged.
+What seemed to be a thrust to his thigh was actually a clever feint, as Hina changed her direction midway, turning and converting her thrust to a swing, which would bring her behind Densetsu -
+But he [[Body Flicker Technique|disappeared]] from her vision. The sword did too, as she felt her arm suddenly move against her own will, being directed at an awkward angle which forced her wrist to open up reflexively. When she turned behind, she saw Densetsu holding the blade up in front of her.
+"Hina Hitoame-san, what are you going to do with ''all that anger''?"
+Hina was boiling, but the look on his face wasn't that of mockery. More of confusion. It wasn't even concealed. Hina's lower eyelid twitched as she slowly lifted her palm and looked at it. It was red, where the hilt of the katana had imprinted itself on her flesh, as Densetsu had managed to yank it away during his shift.
+"So I'm ''soaked'' am I?"
+Hina smiled menacingly as she slowly walked towards him, her voice oddly cheerful as she replied to his initial taunt. Densetsu didn't move a single muscle, the blazing Sharingan analyzing her every move as she stepped closer and closer. And she knew that. "Then how's ''this'' for drying up?"
+She whipped her neck violently, as Densetsu straightened up to guard; but the nature of the technique caught him off guard. The water droplets from her hair shot out towards him, but Densetsu realized at the last minute, as the rays of sunlight danced and bent around each individual droplet—that these weren't mere droplets of water.
+''[[Water Release: Water Senbon]]'', came the voice in Hina's head as multiple tiny, sharpened droplets pelted Densetsu even as he burst off into his right. As he re-materialized, Hina could see that his right arm had taken a beating. Streaks of red were now painted across his arm as blood dripped from it, while his shirt had blotches of tiny, redness spreading on them. She smirked. The attack had worked.
+Densetsu sighed and shook his head, scratching the back of his head as he dropped the katana onto the pebbles under his feet. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"
+Hina stared back at him. She gracefully threw her hair back, as it spread freely in the wind for awhile before gracefully settling behind her back, flaunting the fact that she had completely dried her hair. By now, her dress was practically dry as well, from all the moving and whatnot.
+"There's more of that anger where it came from, you Konoha ''dog''. Be a good boy, come here right now and maybe I'll settle for a foot massage instead of a humiliating kiss. Do that and I might just let you off the hook."
+"Hmph," Densetsu snorted, evidently displeased by her repetition of the insult she hurled at him in the Dango shop. "I told you, if you really want my tongue on your body, ''ask politely''. If a massage is all you want, all you have to do is say the magic words."
+Hina trembled ever so slightly as he again mocked her. Her fists again clenched.
+----
+To Hina, Densetsu's tendency to crack suggestive jokes infuriated her. He really thought he was ''all'' that. Never in a mission years would a naked mole rat like him ever even have the slightest chance with someone like her. Of course, under normal circumstances, she'd assume he'd only be joking around, but part of her felt like he was half serious in his comments.
+It made her even more mad.
+"You should learn to keep your trap shut!" Hina shouted, as she manifested several [[Water Release: Water Senbon|water senbon]] in between her fingers. "Dogs like you need to learn their place!" she cried as she scattered the razor-thin needles in his direction.
+Even with his sharingan, the water senbon were difficult for Densetsu to see. Not only were they incredibly thin and fast, but because they were made of water and were thus a clear liquid, they were mostly transparent. It's no wonder the attack had struck him before—it was simply difficult to perceive, especially when there was more than a single needle. However, Densetsu's eyes were strong and powerful—his reflexes, just as noteworthy: He would not be making the same mistake as last time.
+Dodging Hina's attack with little difficulty, Densetsu avoided sustaining injury as the water senbon missed and splashed onto nearby surfaces, forming puddles on the ground. If this was all she had left, than the battle was pretty much won. Unbeknownst to him, he was right where she wanted him.
+"[[Water Release: Needle Rain]]!" Hina exclaimed. Catching Densetsu off-guard, the small puddles of water formed from Hina's earlier water senbon had formed back into needles and had shot up at Densetsu from the ground. It was a surprise attack befitting a kunoichi from the Hidden Rain. Seeing as how the puddles had been created all around him earlier, Densetsu knew there were senbon hiding in his blind spots, but the exact location of each needle visually alluded him. However, unbeknownst to Hina, his sensory capabilities enabled him to feel the chakra-infused water around him and, as the needles simultaneously whizzed around him, he effortlessly twirled midair, successfully avoiding contact with any of them. Shocked by Densetsu's quick reactions and ability to perceive her surprise attack, Hina's eyes widened—he shouldn't have been able to dodge her needles so effortlessly and without injury.
+"Nice try, but I won't be falling for anymore of your water gimmicks," Densetsu challenged her as he rushed forward, intent on drawing out more of her jutsu. Kunai in hand, he lunged at her, but she dodged backwards with a series of flips and airborne twirls which sent several metal senbon and shuriken headed in his direction. Dodging and deflecting the projectiles, he continued to close the gap. Her fighting style was elegant, with its acrobatic, aerial maneuvers, but he could tell that she was grasping at straws: This battle would soon be coming to a close.
+Reaching into her paper slip pouch, Hina retrieved three individual pieces of paper. Crouching low to the ground and then [[Body Flicker Technique|disappearing]], Hina reappeared upside-down above Densetsu. Upon [[Unsealing Technique|releasing]] the seal on the first slip of paper, several swords came flying towards Densetsu, embedding themselves in the ground around him, trapping him within their circumference like a bladed cage. Landing on the opposite side of Densestu, Hina twirled her body as she released the seal on the second slip of paper, which sprung out a dozen shuriken with wire strings attached. In a flash, the shuriken spun around the bladed cage several times, tightening the cage with each successive loop, tightening the radius of the cage and squeezing against Densetsu; her goal was to mince him to pieces. However, Densetsu had plans of his own and before the blades could press against his skin, he [[Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique|slipped underground]], narrowly avoiding certain death as the blades were pulled to the center where he had been standing just moments ago.
+Quickly popping back up from the ground, Densetsu aimed to take the fight to Hina again, but no sooner had he appeared, did the young kunoichi release the seal on her third piece of paper. From the seal, another umbrella sprung out into the air. With one fluid motion, Hina flipped in place, so that the heel of her foot struck the base of the umbrella, sending it flying in Densetsu's direction. Dodging the umbrella with ease, Densetsu watched as the ninja tool narrowing whizzed past his right cheek; if the tip of the umbrella had made contact, he would've been a dead man. However, something seemed off. His [[Sharingan]], as keen as ever, saw something glistening in the sun.
+Trailing from the end of the umbrella handle was a nearly invisible wire string, the end of which Hina held in her hand. Just as the umbrella embedded itself in the sand behind Densetsu, Hina pulled the string, causing the umbrella to open up and fire a volley of senbon straight into Densetsu's back. Hina, not wanting to be hit by her stray needles, dodged out of the way, but most of the barrage had struck the konoha-nin in the back.
+"Too easy," Hina thought, as what appeared to be Densetsu's lifeless form [[Shadow Clone Technique|transformed]] into nothing more than just a log. "He never would have fallen for that gimmick," she muttered to herself aloud, fully prepared for a counterattack. Hearing the sound of several kunai ripping through the air, Hina sprung up, dodging each projectile in a flurry of fluid motions. Running to grab her rigged umbrella, she dodged and deflected the kunai one by one. Grabbing the handle of her familiar weapon, she turned to intercept Densetsu, who—kunai in hand—was attacking her from behind up.
+Pressing a button on her umbrella handle, the ninja tool suddenly opened up, pushing Densetsu back and blocking his field of view. Twirling, Hina pulled a blade out from the umbrella's handle and drove it through the umbrella itself, in the hopes of catching Densetsu off-guard. Ordinarily, a shinobi would have great difficulty reacting to the sword protruding from a random location through the umbrella, but the moment the blade pierced the fabric, Densetsu's sharp eyes had already detected the blade's trajectory.
+Slamming the umbrella and sword into the sand at their feet, Densetsu pressured her, swiping at her with his kunai, if only to create space and force her back; he didn't like how dangerous her elaborate tricks were. Flipping backwards several times, Hina Landed gently on the surface of the lake. She then launched yet another attack at Densetsu, who was still on the shore. "[[Water Release: Needle Rain]]!" she projected, as an onslaught of water senbon shot out from the lake itself and rained down on the shore from the sky. Feeling the chakra drain from her reserves, Hina could tell that this was likely the last ''significant'' jutsu she could manifest. Her chakra was nearly all spent and she had grown increasingly tired. Pouring her desire for victory into this jutsu, she rained several hundred, razor-thin water needles down on the shore and around her, hoping they'd pierce Densetsu whilst also protecting herself from him.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 00:05, December 24, 2020 (UTC)
+----
+''[[Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall]]''.
+The ground heeded Densetsu's call, rising after he completed the blurry movements of his hands. An oval shaped, toughened wall of earth hissed upwards, covering Densetsu from the front, sides and top, leaving only a space behind; where Densetsu expected a counter attack to be likely, if she were to manipulate any of the senbon independently, or swing behind to corner him in his own wall and pummel him. From his new position he could now watch the two main avenues of attack: the ground below, and the opening of the wall. Whistles and crunches were heard as water projectiles slammed into the sandy bank, or thuds as they bounced off pebbles, rocks and the wall itself. With this small opening, he could see the range of her attack, or the range she ''wanted'' him to see. Still, information was valued, however little or inconsequential in the short term.
+Wincing as he nursed his right arm, Densetsu gathered two more tools from his pouch; a kunai and a smokebomb, twirling the kunai into his left hand before allowing his fingers to tighten around it in a backhand grip.
+With the senbon still thundering onto his surroundings, Densetsu moved quickly within his earthen igloo to reposition before a potentially deadly counterattack, [[Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique|sinking]] into the ground below, moving deep under as he prepared for his next attack.
+Further away from both the earthen dome and the lake Hina stood over and closer to the surrounding forests, a lone kunai popped out of the soil and into the air; detonating with a bright flash as it bathed the surroundings in bright light. Densetsu utilized the distraction to dart out of the ground; taking his place among the treetops, taking the high ground and eyeing an opening to strike.
+----
+Standing on the surface of the lake's water, Hina's eyes darted towards the direction of the bright light. Quickly, she rushed over to Densetsu's earthen igloo in order to confirm her suspicions. As she had thought: the young man was nowhere to be seen. Looking back towards the direction of the flashbomb which had occurred just moments ago, she thought she caught a glimpse of a figure disappearing into the forest. Tired as she was, Hina still had a few tricks left up her sleeve and she refused to let the bastard escape after everything he'd put her through. Without a second thought, the persistent kunoichi entered the forest with the goal of setting a trap to catch the Konoha coward.
+Moving through the forest, Hina paid close attention to her sense of sight, hearing, and smell. '''She''' needed to be the one to surprise ''him''—not the other way around. Heading in the direction where she last saw Densetsu, she began to formulate her plan. First, she'd have to set her trap, then she'd have to lure him to its location. Finally, she'd have to spring the trap—all the while ensuring that it avoided Densetsu's detection. "Easier said than done," she thought to herself, "and against an opponent with the sharingan, it won't be easy."
+But it ''was'' '''possible'''.
+Careful not to make a sound as she jumped through the trees, she listened and listened, waiting for Densetsu to make a mistake.
+''Snap''
+Nearby, Hina heard the faint sound of a twig being snapped—Densetsu was close by. Stopping for a brief moment to observe her surroundings, Hina focused her attention in the direction she had heard the twig snap. Only moments later did her eyes catch a rustling of tree leaves a few dozen meters ahead of her. From the looks of it, Densetsu hadn't picked up on her location yet, so she had the advantage. Carefully, she zeroed in on Densetsu's location, spotting a drops of blood on tree leaves; no doubt, thse were the result of her earlier jutsu. Finally, she was trailing only 17 meters behind him, right on his tail. She didn't want to alert him of her presence, but doubted she could remain undetected for much longer. She would have to be quick.
+Reaching into the satchel attached to the back of her obi, Hina felt for the left side of the bag, looking for a special set of ninja tools. Finding them, she withdrew four kunai, each with [[Wire Strings]] looped through their back ends and connected to one another somewhere along the meters of wire-length. Looking around, she began to throw them at the desired locations—this was the first stage of the trap.
+Of course, Hina knew that the sounds of her kunai would be detected by Densetsu, but she was prepared for what was ahead.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 18:38, January 5, 2021 (UTC)
+----
+The kunai caught Hina's peripheral vision as it reflected a stray beam of sunlight at her, allowing the kunoichi to whirl away from Densetsu's kunai fired atop the branches. But that brief giveaway had been just enough for her, as her own kunai appeared within her fingers amid the smallest puff of smoke, summoned into existence before being sent sailing into the air towards Densetsu's revealed location. As he dodged, the leaves rattled and shook, dropping to the ground beneath as Hina kept up her assault; moving herself deftly to keep him within view.
+Another kunai sailed at her from atop the canopy, which she countered head on by firing one of her own. Both kunai collided in midair, but Hina was quick to apply her mastery of bukijutsu, her fingers working in a mad dance as she threw one of her kunai in rapid succession, hitting the one that was still midair and sending it flying towards him.
+Densetsu propelled himself sideways, tilting his neck just in time to avoid being grazed by her deflected kunai. He landed, hand whipping another kunai from his pouch, but she had spotted him; forcing Densetsu to somersault backwards and onto a different tree as three senbon flew over his previous location. Having repositioned, he fired off a senbon of his own, then another, followed by another; forcing Hina to first twirl and then back-flip twice, as her own agility seemed to trump fatigue, the vigor of battle taking over her tired and achy body as she performed a series of gymnastic maneuvers to reposition and counter Densetsu—to force him to change positions and to keep him uncomfortable enough, so that he wouldn't be able to effectively weave hand signs. The deadly dance continued, as Densetsu swung himself around a tree and flipped onto the earth below to avoid another series of senbon, one which was rigged with an explosive tag.
+He had to dash away to the right to avoid a falling branch as she detonated the tags. Another senbon flew towards him, but he swatted it aside with a kunai he held. The device harmlessly lodged itself into a tree, but a shadow moved behind Densetsu; forcing him to again sway away to react, dodging a high kick by Hina from his blind-spot.
+''A clone'', he thought, assessing that she had purposely baited him in to exploit his exposed back; as he twisted again, evading this copy of Hina's punch before tripping her. The clone burst into water; but that was when Densetsu finally spotted the trick as sunlight trickled through the holes in the forest roof, casting light on dozens of lines of wire around them, as the metal strings glowed ominously.
+Densetsu's red eyes seemed to widen as he stepped back; before a high pitched screech was heard and wires snapped to life upon detecting the release of pressure made by his heel. The elaborate trap she had laid was sprung, as three loud explosions thundered around Densetsu, reducing the barks of the trees around him to dust; wires snapping around him as the rigged senbon and kunai that she had been flinging came to life; suspending Densetsu in midair and tightening around his throat, chest, arms and legs, keeping his joints locked as they tightened.
+Hina stepped forward through the smoke, a grin plastered on her face as she savored her now inevitable victory.
+----
+Left hand on her hip and [[Tantō]] in-hand, Hina confidentially stood before the entangled Densetsu, sizing him up now that he was powerless before her. Flipping the tantō in her right hand and catching it, the young kunoichi taunted her adversary, basking in the glory of her accomplishment: This victory was ''hers.''
+"You know, Mr. Densetsu," she started, "the shinobi world is ruled by people like you; men gifted with extraordinary power who come from prestigious families and privileged villages. You ''pigs'' think the world belongs to you, that somehow you own it. You ''pigs'' feel that you are somehow entitled to determine the fate of everyone else who lives on this world. You ''pigs'' think you can splash around in the mud and create a mess for everyone else to have to clean up. Well, right now, all I see before me is privileged, '''pig in a blanket''' of my wire strings, hovering three feet off the ground like a ham over a holiday fire." Left hand still on her hip, she flipped the tantō in her right hand again before shifting her weight to her right leg.
+Struggling against his wire bindings, Densetsu adamantly protested. "True as it may be, that my village has done terrible things to yours, you cannot deny that the Hidden Leaf has attempted to right the wrongs of the past. That we've intervened in times of crisis and lent a helping hand-"
+"You're delusional," Hina interrupted him. "So, there's a mess on the floor and your village brings a dirty mop to clean up the mess. But you know what? All you and your village do is spread the mess around, so that it covers a larger area. You're not fixing the problems; you're not solving the problems. You're just redistributing the mess, creating a thinner layer of filth across a wider area; every area, ''but yours''." As the young woman passionately spoke, reiterating the same points over and over again, her tantō waved about in the air, occasionally pointing at Densetsu, and sometimes towards the floor. It's erratic movements communicated her frustrations. "And," she started again, "just as you were delusional about your village's righteousness, you also underestimated me: A ''woman'' with little chakra, no magical, emo eyeballs, and no impressive jutsu; someone you think is a total joke. Yet look at the reality of your '''pitiful''' situation. Here I ''stand'', and there you ''swing''."
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 02:07, January 9, 2021 (UTC)
+----
+"Here ''I'' stand and there ''you'' swing," came the reply from the swinging Densetsu, oddly calm and devoid of the emotion he had displayed earlier. Hina's eyelids wrinkled in annoyance, detecting another oddly grandiose claim from her subjugated opponent. Yet those eyelids then widened as she began to feel isolated pressure around her neck, her chest, her arms and her thighs, while a certain numbness began to affect her torso. In horror she watched as the entire forest seemed to ''flip'', front going behind, left going to the right, orientation of trees changing and direction of the sunlight suddenly inverting. The wire strings that had bound Densetsu in place seemed to uncoil as he floated to the ground, and Hina immediately knew what happened.
+He had never been captured in her traps. She had laid them, sprung them, fallen for them and then been captured by them. She had fallen into her own trap.
+The tomoe of his eyes spun and spun, the eerie redness glowing and almost overpowering her most basic instincts as she seemed to float upwards. And then there seemed to be a violent tremor around her, as reality punched through the [[Hinderance Genjutsu|illusion]], and Hina found herself suspended in midair; qipao tormented by her own wire strings which held her firmly in the air, as she struggled against them.
+Densetsu exhaled softly and looked away, as his Sharingan disappeared at his will. He was done with his fight, and he didn't have to proclaim it to the angered Hina for her to understand. Of course, Densetsu knew she would possibly be able to break out of her own trap in some time, but even if she came after him, he had decided he would no longer fight.
+"A pig in a blanket eh," Densetsu said as he stepped forward, stopping a few meters away from where she swayed in her strings. He didn't expect her to understand the things he had experienced, his one year in the ANBU, the five years waging an endless war against the gangs, organizations, missing-nin and S-ranks that plagued their world. At the start of their battle it had irked him greatly that she constantly spat on him as well as Konoha, but now, he realized it was always the same. Grudges and vendettas still plagued their world, and the remnants of past wars and conflicts would always serve as embers for the wildfires yet to rage.
+The earth beside him seemed to vibrate a little as another copy of him emerged from the ground below, rising up before standing beside him. "Since you seem to believe I've underestimated you even now, I'll let you into a secret. I've kept this clone underground from the very start of our battle, traveling around me and around you. That's how I've been able to keep track of almost all your movements."
+His sensory abilities took concentration, after all. Much like how gathering Senjutsu required the user to be still, Densetsu's own sensory abilities required him to concentrate instead of freely move and fight; something which would have been suicidal in direct battle. By dedicating a clone for the purpose of sensing alone, he had been able to devote himself wholly to the battle, with knowledge of Hina's movements even when blinded or robbed of other senses.
+The clone poofed away into thin air.
+"Let me come clear on the record then," he continued, "I of all people know of Konoha's warmongering past. I've seen what it has done to people and how the events decades ago have shaped the problems of today. And I won't hide for it. But to hold on to those evils and refuse to move past them, to refuse to even accept attempts to ''rectify'' those. Unacceptable."
+He finally looked at her again, taking in the rage in those eyes. "Maybe you ''truly'' believe that I'm evil and pampered by unseen comforts. Maybe you just force yourself to believe it because the alternative would crush everything you've been taught to believe, but I've seen how everything can change. How this whole world can change for the better. Five enemies uniting to defeat an unparalleled threat in the war just months ago," he said, pride emerging where emotionlessness had reigned, "if they could work together, everyone can. We can all build a better world, Hina Hitoame."
+"And maybe it won't be today, or tomorrow, but one day the villages won't bring their wars into the homes of others. Maybe in this new world, another child doesn't have to see and feel the same sorrow you felt, if we're willing to give it a ''chance''," he reasoned, his thoughts going back to the people he had saved in the past, the people he had failed to save, enemies redeemed and those too far flung into the path of unyielding evil. He thought only of those who had put their faith in that new world, the ones who still fought by his side and those who had died by his side. Densetsu's faith in the world wasn't built by idealistic speeches, but by what he had seen. In the world he was fighting to build, children wouldn't have to know endless wars, conscription to ANBU hit squads and see their young friends die. All the deaths in the Fourth War had further served to strengthen that resolve.
+----
+As she hovered several feet in the air, Hina could barely process what had just occurred, and she cared not for Densetsu's idealistic, sugar-coated words. In shock, a panicked expression began to spread across her face. No! She had trapped ''him''! When—how—did he trick her? How was this happening? This couldn't be happening! She executed her plan flawlessly—she used all the tricks she had up her sleeve! In despair, tears began to well in her eyes, as she frantically shook her head and squirmed about.
+Desperate to escape—simply unable to accept defeat—Hina struggled midair against her own, failed, [[Manipulated Shuriken Wire Binding]]. Her arms were boxtied behind her back and her thighs were bound together as well. Her ankles were also tied together, with some of the wire strings looping around the heel breast of her sandals; feet pulled back over her thighs, so that the soles of her sandals were facing the back of her head, the wired strings forced her into a strict, suspended hogtie. Uncomfortable as it was, wire strings bound her torso securely, tying everything in place and limiting her movement even more; an intricate, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondage_positions_and_methods#Japanese_karada hishi karada] harness wrapped itself tightly around and across her body, detailing her figure with beautiful, diamond-shaped patterns, and causing her breasts to protrude outwards, as well as forcing her back to slightly arch backwards. To Hina's dismay, a thick cable of wire strings found itself tightly secured in-between her legs—any movement or struggling on her part immediately resulted in that cable grinding against her inguinal canal, causing great discomfort, embarrassment, and shameful sensations. A final, more dangerous feature, wire strings wrapped around her neck, pulling her head back and up a bit and restricting her air flow. It wasn't enough to kill her, but she felt as though she were suffocating; it was one of her best interrogation techniques—ultimately nonlethal (unless the victim could no longer keep their head up), but enough to slightly asphyxiate her victims. Never in a million years did she expect to get a taste of her own medicine.
+Continuing to struggle against her own self-wrought predicament, Hina blushed deeply at the sight of Densetsu watching her. It was humiliating! "H-How did you d-do it?" she questioned him, "W-when!" The wires around her neck and chest made speaking difficult, but she needed to know. As she struggled and spoke, the wire strings creaked and screeched, digging into her clothes and skin. In certain areas, her dress ripped and the seams split—a testament to just how tight the bindings were. Unyielding and unrelenting, they refused to let their mistress go. "H-How could this h-happen? W-Why wasn't I s-strong enough?" Hina cried, as Densetsu saw a frustrated tear trail down her cheek. Whether the tear was from sheer physical pain due to the wire strings, overwhelming embarrassment, or the crushing reality of defeat, Densetsu could not tell. Perhaps it was all three.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 12:18, January 10, 2021 (UTC)
+----
+Densetsu eyed her with a raised brow, waiting for her to stop squirming before answering her question. "You looked directly into my eyes exactly ''twice'' in our bout," he explained, as he ran a finger across the three gashes on his cheek. Warm blood trickled down the side of his face, as he rolled the viscous red liquid in his fingers with a slight frown. "Once, when you had prepared to break my Genjutsu. The next, when I burst through my smoke bombs and charged at you, while you fired projectiles at me from an off angle."
+He pulled his bloodied t-shirt forward, peeking within his clothes to survey the full extent of the damage her water senbon had caused. His dodge had helped him escape a bulk of the damage, but the projectiles had still sheared through his flesh. They were shallower around his chest, with only minor lacerations and blotches of torn skin; but the injuries to his shoulder were more severe. The senbon had completely torn his shirt above the bicep, and the flesh over his deltoid had been cut open. Now he scowled openly. That would need stitches and before that the most dreaded part: a stinging wash to clear the debris and bacteria festering on the flesh. It would ''sting''.
+Having ascertained that he emerged the most bruised out of their encounter he sighed, before continuing. "Even for the briefest second there, it was enough. I [[Hinderance Genjutsu|implanted]] an illusion into you. A simple one really, which I could activate at any given time. Something which would distort your reality and sense of perspective; and allow me to make eye contact with you without you noticing, at any point I activated it. You were setting a trap for me, but you sprung it on yourself. When you tracked me in here and ''fought'' me, your blunted perception allowed me to plant ''another'' genjutsu in you while we fought and thus, you sprung your own trap."
+He sat himself on a thick root and panted, finally being allowed to catch his breath. "I'm done with this fight."
+----
+As Densetsu lectured her about his genjutsu, Hina could barely come to terms with her defeat. "I-It's because of your '''d-damned''' sharingan!" she lashed out at him. "It's because of those...t-those '''cursed''' eyes! That annoying g-gift!" She coughed as she struggled and gasped for air. She squirmed about determinedly. She wanted to hit him—to hurt him; she wanted her hands around his neck—she wanted him to pay. "You and your '''s-tupid''' village!" she cried. "You and your...y-your—I hate you!" she screamed. "I hate you! I hate you! I-" She coughed again as she choked and convulsed.
+Hina no longer had the same temperament of the quiet woman Densetsu had originally met. Though still oddly beautiful in her anger, she acted as though she were nothing more than a barking dog. With a disturbing amount of [[Killing Intent]], she screamed and cursed at it him, wildly thrashing her bound and suspended body about, and spewing horrific insults; she wanted so bad, to kill him—to end his pathetic life and to trample on his hopes and dreams. She wanted to prove that she was right, and that he was wrong. She wanted to fight more—to prove herself to someone like him. She continued to curse at him, to struggle in vain against her predicament, and to scream at him for all he and his people had done to girls like her. It wasn't fair. The world just wasn't fair.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 15:23, January 24, 2021 (UTC)
+----
+Densetsu remained seated on the root, unmoved by her anger and venom pumped insults. She spat and cursed, screeched and shrieked, yet he kept still, oddly relaxed. "Must be some gift huh, if 90% of the people from my village who shared it with me are now dead," he replied coolly. He pointed a finger at her, from a loose wrist, making his gesture look like a casual swipe instead of an aggressive gesture.
+"All products of that ''hate'' that you're so proud off. When I first met you, you pissed me the hell off, but now," he shook his head and paused, allowing himself to breathe in while she bared her fangs at him, body struggling against her bindings, wired straining as she moved. "There's always a stupid village, or a stupid person, or something else that's deserving of hate. And in the end, where does that hate bring anybody? Where did all that revenge lead? Justice stemming from a heart seeking vengeance always ends up ''corrupted''. It's the wheel that keeps turning."
+He quietened down and folded his hands across his chest. "And nobody has the ''balls'' to break that wheel."
+She glared harshly at him, her breath labored and the vessels of her neck taut, evidently throbbing under her anger and discomfort, as well as the aggravation caused by her bindings. He didn't need enhanced vision to tell she was boiling, still livid, her clenched fists seemingly begging for more space to strike him. But he had meant what he said, he was ''done''.
+"Anyway, judging by that elegant dress of yours, now so stained and messy, I'm guessing you had a date," he said, bouncing to his feet and turning his back. "There's nobody immediately nearby to threaten you; and you'll get your strings loose in no time, Miss Hitoame. Farewell and safe travels, may our paths cross someday in better circumstances."
+Suddenly, there was a sound like a [[Flying Thunder God Technique|cracking whip]], which echoed through the trees, ringing and ringing as the birds flapped their wings to escape the disturbance. But Densetsu was long gone, having simply disappeared into nothing.
+----
+"Wait, n-no!" Hina called out into the void of the forest with a desperate look of panic on her face, "D-Don't leave me h-here!" She struggled and squirmed in a futile protest. "Densetsu!" she cried. "Densetsu, you bastard! I'm n-not finished with you! I-I can still f-fight!" Her voice echoed throughout the forest, but there wasn't a single soul nearby who could hear her. "Curse you!" she screamed, yanking hard on the bindings around her arms in an effort to escape, but doing so only made the wire strings tighten even further around her body. "I'll n-never forgive you, you Konoha...ugh! Never! Nev-" she coughed suddenly, the wires around her neck once again having blocked off her air for a brief moment; she needed to keep her neck up, but that was getting more and more difficult with each passing minute.
+Totally exhausted, Hina could no longer muster the strength to shout and scream. If she wanted freedom, she needed to think with a clear, level head. Focusing her thoughts, the defeated kunoichi got to work with her bindings, using her expert skills in order to escape. Realizing that she'd only used her backup [[Tantō]] in a genjutsu, she reached for it where it had been all along. It was still sheathed in the scabbard wrapped around her lower, right leg, so she tried to unfasten the metallic clip which held the small dagger in place. Because her arms were boxtied, reaching was quite difficult, but after several attempts she succeeded in opening up the scabbard. Carefully, removing the tantō with her fingertips, she tried to get a better grip on it; it being just barely within reach, she was forced to inch it out of its holster slowly. However, just when she thought she had finally gotten it out, it slipped from her fingers and fell to the earth beneath her, hopelessly out of her reach.
+Groaning in despair as what seemed to be her only hope of escape fell out of her reach, she whimpered and winced in pain; she was quickly losing circulation to multiple parts of her body due to the tightness of her bindings. Faced with no other option, she realized she would need to force a jutsu. It would only require a bit of chakra, but even then, she wasn't sure if she had enough. Concentrating, she focused almost all the remaining chakra she had into one, tiny, [[Water Release: Water Senbon|water needle]]. With just barely enough chakra left to keep herself partially awake, she used the tiny needle to start ripping at her wire string bindings.
+After several minutes of constantly plucking at the same spots over and over again, Hina finally managed to break enough wire strings to undo her suspension, causing her to come crashing to the ground 3 feet below. Tiredly shuffling and shifting her body over to her nearby tantō, she grabbed hold of the knife and began to properly cut herself loose. Without a doubt, this had been the most humiliating, crushing defeat of her life.
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 14:02, January 28, 2021 (UTC)
+=='''Epilogue'''==
+After the events that transpired between [[Hina Hitoame]] of the Hidden Rain and [[Densetsu]] of the Leaf, Hina had no choice but to continue her mission. Originally, she'd been on a journey to secure an important trade deal between [[Amegakure]] and the [[Land of Tea]]; hoping to experience a great, positive change in the new era, her village wanted to reach out and improve relations with foreign countries. A trade deal with the Land of Tea would greatly help get the village's economy back up on its feet for the first time in many decades.
+Unfortunately for Hina, due to the time spent untying herself from her wire string predicament, she arrived late for her appointment with the officials of the Land of Tea. To her horror, she discovered that, in her absence, the Land of Tea had just completed trade negotiations with the [[Land of Fire]], specifically supplying and receiving valuable goods to and from [[Konohagakure]]. Because she had failed to arrive on time, the deal was passed on to the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Rain was no longer being considered for negotiations. While Densetsu had nothing to do with this trade agreement, Hina blamed him for causing her village's plans to fall through; she thought he was in on it. Her people needed his deal, and now it was out of their reach.
+Trying to reason with the officials to perhaps reconsider the agreement, Hina was immediately shunned and shut down. The lords simply looked at how she was dressed—her fancy clothes were completely torn, tattered, and ripped. Her hair was disheveled and red, wire string marks lined her body. She was completely unpresentable—this reflected on her village poorly. The officials refused deal with people who couldn't even respect formalities. Tired, humiliated, and defeated, Hina returned home to her village, bringing the terrible news. Her hatred towards Konoha had now only increased. She'd also never forget the name Densetsu, and that young man's arrogant face was permanently etched into her mind.
+In the years following the Fourth Great Ninja War, Amegakure continued to experience failures like these—each time being beaten out by the other great nations. As a result, by the time of the Boruto era, the village has failed to improve. The suffering and misery of its people continues on.
+<big>❧</big> ~ End ~ <big>❧</big>
+--[[User:Holly Winter19|Holly Winter19]] ([[User talk:Holly Winter19|talk]]) 14:32, January 28, 2021 (UTC)