Like the whole "having Wind Chakra" would let the two perform a Sibling Combo Attack where they fake Ice Release. Like, they both fire their respective Sword Beam and it explodes into a sphere of cold & snow.
Minor note - using Wind Release and Water Release together only causes Wind Release to amplify the concussive and overall destructive power of the Water Release technique.
Unless you happen to have the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, you can't actually combine the elemental releases to form Ice Release techniques. They mix, but do not react. Same with other combinations - having one person use Fire Release and another use Earth doesn't actually result in Lave Release techniques.
Still, the techniques of using multiple Elemental Releases can synergize if you're using the right elements and the right techniques. But not to the creation of new Elemental Release techniques that are normally the privy of Bloodline LImits.
Water and Lightning combo technique would be cooler, since the mix would create some sort of neon rain I'd think. Sparks dancing between the droplets, the fury of it all tossing up the air and setting the leaves/petals/dust awirl.
Edit: Now I kinda want to make a hiding in the leaves technique, like hiding in the mist. Wind Release probably, making a small localized windstorm keeping leaves and stuff afloat. In some respects it's even more effective than the Hiding the Mist technique because the sound of rustling leaves everywhere means you can't depend on your ears to track people. The main issue is that you can't really use it outside of verdant areas, and there being more of a passive chakra drain to it than HitM.
He'd initially challenged her as a half-hearted attempt to connect with her, and admittedly a degree of curiosity. Just what made her so passionate about this particular game?
He'd also idly wondered if it might count toward his Luck of the Draw achievement. It was a card game, so there was definitely an element of luck, but there was also an element of strategy, so he couldn't be sure if it qualified as a proper game of chance.
Regardless, he quickly found himself sucked into the game. Irritating as she was, Mariko was an energetic and engaging opponent, and there was something tantalizingly familiar about the whole thing. Each card played gave him the distinct impression that he had seen it before, despite this being his first match. Not that he let his inexperience hold him back. Daisuke had always been a quick study, and he quickly picked up on the the nuances of the game, enough to match his more experienced opponent. Soon the advantage was quickly shifting back and forth between the two of them.
Now, though, he was feeling worried. Mariko had just turned things around again, and her current Beasts were much more powerful than anything he had played thus far. He could see his chances of success fading before his eyes.
He drew is next card. His breath caught.
Eyes that shone like sapphires. Shimmering scales the same color as his opponents hair, and even that unfortunate similarity could not detract from the creature's magnificence.
"I discard the last two Beasts on my field," he announced, "to play my Azure Eyes Platinum Dragon!"
"What!?" exclaimed Mariko, shock apparent on her face.
"And now," Daisuke continued, " it will destroy your Sorcerer of Shadows with it's Platinum Thunderbolt Strike!"
Mariko reeled back as though she'd been physically struck, then reluctantly moved her most powerful card to her discard pile. From there the tide of the game clearly shifted in Daisuke's favor, his elation and Mariko's frustration growing as his powerful Azure Eyes destroyed her Beasts one after another. However she tried to defend herself, nothing could stop his Dragon's rampage. It was an invincible engine of destruction; it even said so on the card! Soon it was clear that Mariko had her back to the wall.
"There's no shame in conceding defeat, Mariko." Daisuke offered. "My Dragon is simply too powerful. It's defeated each Beast you've sent against it. At this point, it's obvious how this will end."
Mariko ground her teeth. "It's not over yet, Daisuke!" she snapped back. "You may have defeated my Beasts, but their spirits are unbroken! I believe in my cards!"
Daisuke couldn't help but scoff. Was Mariko, of all people, really treating her cards as if they had actual spirits? Sure, Daisuke had a special connection to the training dummies, but that was completely different. Mariko was just being ridiculous. The girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and drew from her deck.
And smiled.
"You see, Daisuke," she said, " My Beasts' sacrifices were not in vain, for they have given me the time to draw the final card I needed. Behold!" she declared, spreading out five cards on the table top, "The five parts of Genesor, the Restricted One!"
Daisuke gasped. He knew, without knowing how he knew, that Genesor was the ultimate Beast, the most powerful being in all of Beasts of Battle. But how could she have assembled all five parts? "No!" he cried, "It cannot be! It's impossible!"
"It is possible," Mariko replied, knocking over her chair as she stood and flinging her hand dramatically over the cards laid out on the table, "and now this game is mine! Genesor, Annihilate!"
Daisuke slumped in his seat, eyes staring hollowly at the playing field. His cards dropped from his nerveless fingers. Even his Azure Eyes Platinum Dragon was no match for the Restricted One. The game was over. "How?" he managed to rasp out. "How could I have lost?"
Mariko lifted a finger. "Your Beasts may have been powerful," she explained, "but one can never be truly victorious unless they believe in the soul of their deck."
Daisuke's mind reeled. The Soul of the Deck? Surely such a thing was simple childishness. Cards were merely pieces of cardboard. Yet Mariko had emerged victorious. Could that really be her secret? Did his deck have a soul? Was his entire life up to this point a lie? Shaken, he turned her words over and over in his head, trying to comprehend.
-
Watching from the sidelines, Kiba looked at his teammates in confusion. At Mariko, standing with the attitude of a sage dispensing great wisdom. At Daisuke, who looked as though his world was falling to pieces around him. Finally, at Kurenai-sensei, sitting next to him. "Okay, they do realize that this is just a stupid card game, right?" He suddenly flinched and Daisuke and Mariko whipped their heads in direction with identical, burning glares.
He'd initially challenged her as a half-hearted attempt to connect with her, and admittedly a degree of curiosity. Just what made her so passionate about this particular game?
He'd also idly wondered if it might count toward his Luck of the Draw achievement. It was a card game, so there was definitely an element of luck, but there was also an element of strategy, so he couldn't be sure if it qualified as a proper game of chance.
Regardless, he quickly found himself sucked into the game. Irritating as she was, Mariko was an energetic and engaging opponent, and there was something tantalizingly familiar about the whole thing. Each card played gave him the distinct impression that he had seen it before, despite this being his first match. Not that he let his inexperience hold him back. Daisuke had always been a quick study, and he quickly picked up on the the nuances of the game, enough to match his more experienced opponent. Soon the advantage was quickly shifting back and forth between the two of them.
Now, though, he was feeling worried. Mariko had just turned things around again, and her current Beasts were much more powerful than anything he had played thus far. He could see his chances of success fading before his eyes.
He drew is next card. His breath caught.
Eyes that shone like sapphires. Shimmering scales the same color as his opponents hair, and even that unfortunate similarity could not detract from the creature's magnificence.
"I discard the last two Beasts on my field," he announced, "to play my Azure Eyes Platinum Dragon!"
"What!?" exclaimed Mariko, shock apparent on her face.
"And now," Daisuke continued, " it will destroy your Sorcerer of Shadows with it's Platinum Thunderbolt Strike!"
Mariko reeled back as though she'd been physically struck, then reluctantly moved her most powerful card to her discard pile. From there the tide of the game clearly shifted in Daisuke's favor, his elation and Mariko's frustration growing as his powerful Azure Eyes destroyed her Beasts one after another. However she tried to defend herself, nothing could stop his Dragon's rampage. It was an invincible engine of destruction; it even said so on the card! Soon it was clear that Mariko had her back to the wall.
"There's no shame in conceding defeat, Mariko." Daisuke offered. "My Dragon is simply too powerful. It's defeated each Beast you've sent against it. At this point, it's obvious how this will end."
Mariko ground her teeth. "It's not over yet, Daisuke!" she snapped back. "You may have defeated my Beasts, but their spirits are unbroken! I believe in my cards!"
Daisuke couldn't help but scoff. Was Mariko, of all people, really treating her cards as if they had actual spirits? Sure, Daisuke had a special connection to the training dummies, but that was completely different. Mariko was just being ridiculous. The girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and drew from her deck.
And smiled.
"You see, Daisuke," she said, " My Beasts' sacrifices were not in vain, for they have given me the time to draw the final card I needed. Behold!" she declared, spreading out five cards on the table top, "The five parts of Genesor, the Restricted One!"
Daisuke gasped. He knew, without knowing how he knew, that Genesor was the ultimate Beast, the most powerful being in all of Beasts of Battle. But how could she have assembled all five parts? "No!" he cried, "It cannot be! It's impossible!"
"It is possible," Mariko replied, knocking over her chair as she stood and flinging her hand dramatically over the cards laid out on the table, "and now this game is mine! Genesor, Annihilate!"
Daisuke slumped in his seat, eyes staring hollowly at the playing field. His cards dropped from his nerveless fingers. Even his Azure Eyes Platinum Dragon was no match for the Restricted One. The game was over. "How?" he managed to rasp out. "How could I have lost?"
Mariko lifted a finger. "Your Beasts may have been powerful," she explained, "but one can never be truly victorious unless they believe in the soul of their deck."
Daisuke's mind reeled. The Soul of the Deck? Surely such a thing was simple childishness. Cards were merely pieces of cardboard. Yet Mariko had emerged victorious. Could that really be her secret? Did his deck have a soul? Was his entire life up to this point a lie? Shaken, he turned her words over and over in his head, trying to comprehend.
-
Watching from the sidelines, Kiba looked at his teammates in confusion. At Mariko, standing with the attitude of a sage dispensing great wisdom. At Daisuke, who looked as though his world was falling to pieces around him. Finally, at Kurenai-sensei, sitting next to him. "Okay, they do realize that this is just a stupid card game, right?" He suddenly flinched and Daisuke and Mariko whipped their heads in direction with identical, burning glares.
If being a gamer was reason enough, this paragraph would be useless.
We can certainly reach these ranks, but we'll need some narrative reason.
Example: we might get legendary ninjutsu by studying the notes (if there are any) of the second hokage Tobirama, by creating several High ranked jutsu, or by learning multiple elements.
A decent reason to get above elite travel might simply be having traveled in all kind of different environments, from cities to forests to desert. (With Legendary for having travelled literally ANYWHERE, and mythic for dimensional travel)
A mastery of water jutsu could explain an affinity for swimming, or might supplement our ability. (thus justifying above elite).
Discovering a counter for Tsukuyomi could be the justification for legendary/mythic genjutsu. And so on
Tokei's face is a mask. He moves without sound, without moving anything but his feet, seemingly without effort. His wrist twitches and his sword darts at you like liquid silver. It brushes against your shoulder, leaving only a trail of blood and pain. He means to finish the job he started so many years ago. He means to kill you.
But you're not six anymore, and you're no long an animal driven by terror and self-preservation. So when he strikes out again you step to the side, moving just enough for the blade to scrape the wall behind you instead of your flesh. With Tokei overextended it's the work of a moment to step in an snap a kick towards his chin-
Only for him to dodge. The samurai snaps his head back lightning fast leaving your foot to hit nothing but empty air. The rest of his body follows, hopping back a foot as he readies his blade for another strike.
Your hands twitch for your own weapon, the twin to the blade glistening with your blood. But no. You leave it hanging in it's sheathe. There's no point in drawing it- you're definitely under a Genjutsu no matter what your senses tell you. And that could mean you're still sitting in front of the fire, or it could mean you're facing off against someone that's just disguised to look like Tokei. If it's the later, your blade could cause someone severe harm. You won't risk it.
Besides. You're a shinobi. You are a weapon.
Tokei strikes out again and you use your arm like your sword, parrying it and letting the flat of the blade slide down your vambraces. Your hand lashes out and grabs hold of Tokei's wrist. A pull and he's in front of you. One punch, two! He staggers back.
"Pathetic," Tokei growls. He straightens out and stretches. The armor he's girded with shines in the dim light of the moon. "You should know better than to strike ceramic plate with your fists. Or perhaps that wasn't something that you trained with? That would make your constant hours with nothing but training dummies just one more thing that's completely pointless."
As he talks, he strikes. His blade darts for your legs, aiming for your tendons, but you contort and block. He changes tactics, going for your relatively unprotected stomach, but again you bend and twist out of the way. Tokei cuts and he cuts and he cuts, but though your blood starts to flow, he doesn't once hit his target.
At least not with his sword. While his blade cuts deeply, it's his words that hit you like hammer blows. "No, that is incorrect. You aren't pointless. You are harmful. You make everything around you worse simply by existing."
With every cut, he speaks. He speaks of how you've made the world worse by befriending Ino and making her incompatible with her team as he slices your arm. He chops at your legs when he speaks how how the world is doomed because of Hinata interfering with Team 7's chemistry. He draws blood from your chest as he talks about how your existence killed him and as good as killed Mother. Each new wound he tears in your flesh is matched by one he hammers into your mind.
You ignore him as best you can. This isn't real. You know this isn't real. This can't be real. You bite at your tongue, seeking pain to release your from the illusion. But even as the pain courses through you, the world around you stays solid and real.
Maybe… maybe this is real? Maybe you never made it out of that alleyway. Is everything that came after that the thing that's fake? Your training, your friendships, your life, all an illusion conjured by a child's terrified mind in it's desperate last moments.
"No," you growl to yourself. "This is fake. This is not real. You aren't real!"
You repeat it again and again, even as Tokei takes you apart. There's none of the rust that you expected from your protector on this Samurai. There's only drive and a desire to hurt. It's a task he takes to with a will. Again and again, he cuts. And again and again, you snarl your defiance.
By the time you drop to your knees you're screaming it into his face. "This isn't real! You aren't real!"
Tokei pauses. He looks you up and down and hefts his blade one final time. "And you are?"
And then it's gone. Tokei, the darkness, the blade, the pain, the alleyway, all gone. You're sitting in front of the burning bonfire staring at the remnants of the boar you all had for dinner. You haven't moved an inch from where you sat down. Even your hands are still resting on your legs, right where you settled them.
You immediately look down at yourself, stretching your arms so you can see every part of them. No tears, no cuts, no blood. It's like you weren't in a fight at all. The only thing that makes it look like you haven't just been sitting peacefully is that you're completely drenched in sweat from head to toe.
Your throat is completely dry. Each breath you take feels like you're pulling cool air against sandpaper. You cough, a horrible full body cough, and gasp. A bottle is pressed into your hands and you drink without thinking. One of your own teas vanishes down your throat. "Drink," Kurenai-sensei says, voice low and soothing. "Drink and breathe. Relax. You've made it through."
Your teacher is standing in front of you, face pinched in worry as she doles out bottles to everyone. You glance to either side. Kiba and Mariko are there, and neither looks any better than you. Mariko's carefully tamed hair is drenched with sweat and she gags, dropping to her hands and knees as the desire for liquid fights the urge to vomit. Eventually the later wins and she spins, barely making it off the blankets on twitching limbs before the sounds of retching reach your ears. Kiba shrugs off his heavy jacket with shaking, uncertain movements, so desperate for the cool summer night's air that he doesn't care about modesty anymore. Beside him, Akamaru, the one of you that looks unaffected, noses his partner's chin and licks at him. The Inuzuka reaches and and grabs his dog, hugging him close.
Through it all, Kurenai-sensei watches the three of you with placid, almost sad eyes. When Mariko staggers back and starts draining a bottle like it would save her life, your teacher speaks. "What you have all just undergone," she says calmly, "is a technique that I hope you will never experience again. It is called 'Horror Made Flesh', and it is a Genjutsu that is nearly impossible to defend against. It requires no seals. The chakra probes in your system are subtle and multifaceted, attacking every sense in tandem through-"
Academically, you could appreciate the impromptu lesson. A sealless Genjutsu that attacks all five senses? That's practically the holy grail of illusions. But right now you couldn't care less. And neither could your team.
"What did it do?" Mariko gasps out.
"Why?" Kiba growls almost simultaneously.
You content yourself with sitting in silent solidarity, glaring at your teacher. If your matching glares are having any effect on her, she doesn't show it. Instead she nods approvingly as if this is just another class. "Excellent questions. Horror Made Flesh does one thing and one thing only: it causes the targets to experience their greatest fear. And as for why…"
She trails off and turns, looking directly into the fire. "As Shinobi, there will come times where you will have to face situations just like that. Where you will come face to face with a walking nightmare with no warning, with no weapons, with no preparation. And when that happens, do you know what happens to most Shinobi?"
Silence rules the Training Ground with only the crackle of the fire and the heavy breathing of you genin breaking it. Finally, you speak. "They fight?" you guess.
Kurenai-sensei shakes her head slightly. "Some do. But almost as a whole, they lose. And they all die. Whether they fight or not, they die."
"Only a ninja made of a certain caliber can stand up under the weight of confronting their greatest fears. And that is why I placed you under Horror Made Flesh: to see if you were of that caliber. And... "
Her ruby eyes rake across the three of you and a small smile breaks her mask. "You are."
"I don't know what you saw under the Genjutsu. But I know that you fought. You struggled. You pressed on even when the situation was hopeless. Not one of you retreated. And I am impressed, truly. You all have the foundations to become splendid shinobi."
There's a ding in your ear.
*DING* Success Condition Cleared!
Again, the clearing lapses into silence. This time it's Kiba that breaks it. "So," he chokes out. "Do we pass?"
How can he even ask that? Of course you passed! She just as good as said it…
But she didn't actually say it. Your eyes snap back to Kurenai-sensei. "Almost," she says, sitting down cross-legged in front of you. "Almost."
"W-what?!" Mariko almost screams. "There's more?!"
"One final step," Kurenai-sensei confirms. "There's just one last thing you have to tell me, tell your teammates before your headbands become secure. All you have to do… is tell me what you saw."
"Huh?" you grunt out reflexively.
"As Shinobi, as a team," Kurenai-sensei explains, "we must know each other. We must have no secrets. We must know each other as closely as we know ourselves. And there is no place better to start then here. So tell me, what did you see while under the Genjutsu?"
...she's asking you to reveal your greatest fear. Right here, right now, in front of Kiba who can't keep a secret to save his life, and Mariko, who hates you. Not to mention Sensei herself, who you met literally nine hours ago. That's… not a small thing she's asking.
Maybe this is a test? Well, a test within the test. Are you supposed to lie? Are you supposed to keep this a secret while giving off the impression of telling the truth?
Or are you supposed to refuse to answer entirely? Shinobi must have no secrets… bullshit. Shinobi are made of secrets! Maybe the real way to pass the test is to say nothing!
*DING* Quest Log Updated!
New Success Condition: Answer Kurenai-sensei's question!
...that's no fucking help at all.
Kurenai-sensei wants you to say what you saw while under the Horror Made Flesh technique. What do you do?
[] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[] You were attacked by your childhood protector who tried to kill you before you entered the Academy, and this time he was going to finish the job.
-[] You were told by someone whose approval you once looked for that you make everything actively worse just by existing.
-[] You were in a world where nothing around you was real. A world where maybe you aren't even real.
[] Lie about what you saw. You won't tell anyone what you really saw, but you need to say something.
-[] (Write-In. No approval needed)
[] You refuse to answer. Some things must stay private.
------
Daisuke being embarrassed in front of Hana is a common sight in the Inuzuka Compound. Kuromaru observes.
The Boar Hunt... from Akamaru's perspective.
Team Nine did not pass their Jonin-Sensei test. And yes, it was Kairi's fault.
Daisuke has had to use his Shamisen on quests before. But nothing will ever compare to the time had to go Pied Piper on the rats.
Hatake Kakashi has failed many teams for his test and fully expected to fail another. But he never reckoned with the support minded Hyuuga Hinata being on his squad.
Every Jonin Sensei has been through their own test before, but on the Genin's side. What did Kurenai experience under the Horror Made Flesh Technique?
Team Ten thought that Asuma-sensei was going to test them. But when he does, they never saw it happening like this.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were attacked by your childhood protector who tried to kill you before you entered the Academy, and this time he was going to finish the job.
If they blab or take advantage, we just have ample, ACTUAL reason to actually seek reprisal.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were attacked by your childhood protector who tried to kill you before you entered the Academy, and this time he was going to finish the job.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were attacked by your childhood protector who tried to kill you before you entered the Academy, and this time he was going to finish the job.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were attacked by your childhood protector who tried to kill you before you entered the Academy, and this time he was going to finish the job.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were in a world where nothing around you was real. A world where maybe you aren't even real.
I feel like this is telling what actually made us afraid, rather than just listing out what happened.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were attacked by your childhood protector who tried to kill you before you entered the Academy, and this time he was going to finish the job.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were told by someone whose approval you once looked for that you make everything actively worse just by existing.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were in a world where nothing around you was real. A world where maybe you aren't even real.
[X] Answer truthfully. You'll tell everyone what you saw.
-[X] You were attacked by your childhood protector who tried to kill you before you entered the Academy, and this time he was going to finish the job.
