Rolling out of the rain of… raindrops, you straighten up, inhaling sharply as spines of bone retreat back underneath your skin. You shrug your kimono, now full of holes, off of your shoulders, and rip the bones of your left arm out through your shoulder. A copy of the bones, though you let the limb hang down as if it's boneless.
The sword of bone and the sword of metal crash together in concert with a nearby thunderclap, drowning out that celestial crack.
Instead of trying to turn it into a clash as before, you dash away with Jet Movement, the jutsu more effective now that Cedar Dance's effects have lessened, and Larch Dance's spikes aren't blocking any of your range of motion.
Once again, your opponent sends a wave of Wind Style flying after you. This time though, you batter the severing chakra aside, and when he starts weaving hand seals again, you raise your seemingly-disabled left hand and pepper him with Finger-Drilling Bullets.
Rinchi moves to move, but having to pick up his sword, and focusing on infusing his chakra back into it makes him just slow enough. One of your bullets gouges a trench out of the back of his forearm, while another, deflected a heartbeat too late, embeds itself into his ankle. You think that it's embedded in his leg at least, there wasn't a splash of mud from behind his leg, and his expression is set in a pained grimace.
Tossing your sword into your left hand, you block the swordsman's next strike, aimed at the back of your neck. You turn, pushing outward, but he contests it. Lucky for you, that's exactly what you were anticipating. Less fortunately, your opponent catches the subtle twitch of your right arm as its bones split and fuse. As you fire a second sword at his feet, your opponent dodges back, Body Flickering three times in a row, casting off blades of Water condensed from the rain at you.
You pick up your newly-created sword and smash through the blades of water. Rinchi still capitalizes on the space he's made by weaving a new set of hand seals, casting a new Water Style Jutsu on the rain surrounding you.
This new technique isn't enough to cut off your approach, but it does hinder it. The water droplets in the air coalesce into spiky balls, each a few centimeters across, cutting you when you first enter the jutsu's range. In order to break through, you transfer the eddy from one of your arms to your swords, causing it to spin in the air and break up the water around it. You swing your now-free hand wide, rapidly firing Finger Bullets into the air and at your opponent. These two actions give you enough of an opening to let you break through the Mist Caltrops, but said caltrops also serve your opponent's purpose of delaying you enough for him to cast his technique.
Once more, your swords clash, both surrounded by Wind Chakra. Instead of cracking like thunder, the blades scream as they meet, sharpened Wind clashing with roiling Wind.
Rinchi's blade is sharper and finer, cracking both of yours (which is fine, they're temporary), but with a sword in each hand and Wind driving your movements, your strength and finesse are greater.
Maintaining the blade surrounded by Wind in the bind, you allow the other blade to be chipped away, and tear it downward, ripping the edge away. Still, compressed, hardened, jagged bone is more than enough to rip through a flak jacket and tear a gash into the flesh beneath.
With that injury, the Kiri-nin lets the Wind explode from his blade, destroying your other sword, but instead of trying to cut you (which he recognizes you could easily counter in this situation) he kicks off of your midsection, Flickering away.
"Damn, I think I can see why everyone says you people are so bad. Granted, I've never met a nice Kaguya, and they never fight nice, but that is a weird and nasty style you've got there," as he says this, he swipes a vile from under his flak jacket. Before you move to re-engage, he sucks down the contents.
[] Keep chipping away at him, your current tactic is working. Even if you have to break a few… dozen(?) more bone-swords.
[] It's about time to start winding down. Use Youme-sensei's poison on your next set of blades. You should be able to cut him and administer it. Then it's just a matter of you holding out against his diminishing assault.
[] You've played by his rules long enough. Despite your being in control the last few engagements, this is a game your opponent clearly likes playing. Bring things to an end by bringing them over the top, Hibiscus Dance and if it comes to it, Thistle Dance.
[] Write-in.
A/N: At first I wanted to get some more combat into this update, but I've had a little cold for a couple of days and the medicine started to kick in, so it was better to leave it coherent. Either way, the long-promised announcement I had will be announced tomorrow, and there's actually going to be a few.
A/N2: Everyone remember to wish the quest a happy belated… anniversary? I don't think you can call it a birthday. Not sure how significant that is but even late I'll be marking it somehow, don't worry.
Voting closes at 7:35pm on Sunday, October 3rd!
