The Will of the Leaf

[giga]

We technically can't do anything to that rock. We'd do something to the life on the rock.

It's curious why she asks 3 specialists who manipulate life to do something to that rock, though. This is probably some attempt to humble us or something.

Edit: Changing vote to C. It's the only option where we actually DO something to the rock.

[lolkpop]

Alright, change to C.

[syco]

C

[Yushinoki]

Switch to C.

[iceisnice]

C

[vegeta]

C vote

[ganguro]

Knowing full well that none of your techniques can do anything….impressive against a boulder, you decide to downplay this whole useless demonstration. You simply grab a kunai from your pocket and half-heartedly throw it at the boulder.

Click

The kunai simply bounces off the moment the blade meets the stone, before falling softly on the grass. You look towards your team to see whether or not your little demonstration impressed anybody.

Tsunade and Inoichi clearly look disappointed; they’re still staring at the kunai on the ground, as if it’s going to do something unexpected. Shikaku, however, is covering his mouth with both hands, obviously trying to stifle a laugh.

“…..Is that it?” Tsunade asks half-heartedly.

“Pretty much.” You reply simply as you pick your kunai from the ground, and walk back towards your team.

Tsunade shakes her head disappointingly as you walk closer and closer to her; you obviously haven’t impressed her.

“I guess that’s as much as I could expect from someone like you.” She says with a sigh. “Why they call you “the pride of the Aburame,” I will never know.”

“And what exactly do you expect an Aburame to do against a boulder?” You ask, clearly irritated. “Should I have let my bugs sunbathe on it?”

Tsunade gives you a venomous glare before scoffing and snatching the kunai from your hand. She then throws the kunai at the boulder.

CRACK

The kunai punctures itself four inches into boulder, creating a crack that extends from one side of it to the other. You raise a single eyebrow at this ostentatious display of strength.

“Did you honestly expect me to do that?” You ask sarcastically. “I’m afraid my strength is only measurable by human standards, an ogre such as you wouldn’t understand.” You say bitterly.

Tsunade scoffs before pushing you back in line with Inoichi and Shikaku. Both of them seem to have different opinions on how you handle the situation.

“Before we waste any MORE time.” Tsunade snaps sharply, causing you to roll your eyes behind your glasses. “I’m going to begin gaining data on each one of you.”

“Data?” Both you and Shikaku ask in unison.

“Yes. I need to dissect your fighting style and know every single one of your techniques. By doing this, not only can I develop a training regimen that will be individually built to your strengths, but I can begin forming tactics and formations that will maximize team-work.” She explains with an uncharacteristically wise tone.

“Makes sense.” You think to yourself.

“I’ll begin with you, Ardal. Follow me.” She commands before briskly walking away from your two teammates.

“Don’t piss her off again huh? It’d be a shame if you return looking like that boulder over there.” Shikaku teases.

“Be polite Ardal!” Inoichi pleads as you begin walking away

--

“Okay kid.” She abruptly says as she stops a good 100 feet away from where you originally were. “I know you were holding out on me back there, so you might as well just show me now.” Tsunade says as she crosses her arms impatiently.

“Whatever do you mean?” You ask in a mock-polite tone.

“I’ve read your file Ardal. I know you possess the powerful Kikochu bugs, and I know what you are capable of.” Tsunade replies simply.

“If you know all of this, than you should also know the Kikochu can’t dissolve inorganic materials. Why did you set me up with a boulder?” You ask with a hint of annoyance in your tone.

“…Venom? Jiraiya told me the Kikochu secreted acid!” Tsunade says annoyingly as she pulls out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and reads it earnestly.

“Whoever this “Jiraiya” person is, he’s wrong.” You reply simply.

The next half hour is spent with you carefully explaining everything you know about the Kikochu to Tsunade. You explain how they’re microscopic, and that your fighting style is completely different from the typical Aburame member because of it.

“…because of the fact I can only transmit my bugs through physical contact, I’ve had to train myself extensively in taijutsu and speed.” You explain carefully. “To be honest, everything I know is self-taught, simply because there is nobody else alive that possesses the Kikochu.”

Tsunade says nothing for a few moments; she only studies you extensively.

“Alright, I think I understand better now. It seems I will have to spend a little extra time on your training...” She says with a sigh.

“What do you mean?” You ask curiously.

“Don’t worry about it yet.” She says quickly. “I need to ask you something though, is it possible for a single Aburame to maintain BOTH the Kikaichu and Kikochu?” She asks intensively.

You think quietly before answering.

“Theoretically….yes, but it requires a great deal of chakra to maintain two separate swarms. Not only that, you have to breed them so that the mating cycles between the two bugs don’t coincide. If they do, the Kikaichu and Kikochu will start an all-out war inside the Aburame’s body, more than likely killing him.” You explain to the best of your knowledge.

“Hmm….that sounds troublesome. Do me a favor Ardal, whenever you get home, ask your father if your clan has any books about Kikochus. I’m afraid you will have to be a bit more autodidactic during your training.” She says sternly.

You only nod in reply.

“Good. Now go fetch Shikaku for me.” She commands

--

A few hours later, you’re at home reading through scroll-after-scroll of information concerning the Kikochu. The moment you had gotten home, you asked your father to ask the clan historian for any information regarding the Kikochu, a task that he fulfilled beautifully.

The scrolls contain mostly useless information; it’s simply an Aburame bragging about discovering such a rare, and powerful species of insects. A few pages in, however, the Aburame learns and develops a wide repertoire of skills and techniques used in conjunction with the Kikochu.

“All of this stuff seems complicated…..but I’m sure Tsunade will help me learn them if I bring the details to her. The question is which one do I want to learn?”

A) Create a clone made purely out of Kikochu. If struck by a physical object, the Kikochu instantly infects the object/person.
B) The ability to create an antidote against the venom your bugs cause. Without this, anything you touch accidentally will most likely die
C) The ability to transmit a small amount of Kikochu into your kunai, which you can then throw

D) (Insert Idea here) (Note, it has to be within Ardal’s range of skill)

[seasplitter]

A sounds nice, but we don't want to accidentally kill an ally or civilian.

B.

[Yushinoki]

B so we don't accidentally kill someone.

[giga]

D) Izanagi


....

B

[vegeta]

B vote

[pyroflare77]

D: Teach the Kikochu to reverse any damage they have done to small objects. It'd make a neat party trick.


B

[iceisnice]

B vote


Some ideas for later:

1) The bugs now secrete acid (as well as the venom) that destroys soft fabrics, such as silk, cotton, satin, linens, demin, polyester. (However don't destroy leather, so wearing leather gloves possible)

2) Same as 1 but destroys leather

3) Same as 1 but destroys metal, rock

4) The bugs now fly

5) The bugs can be directed like the other bugs making accidental death almost impossible if Arden is concious

6) The bugs now eat a little bit of chakra

7) The bugs now come with more durable flesh

8) The bugs move faster, secrete venom faster than they did before

9) The bugs are taught to periodically give the tiniest bit of chakra to Arden to increase genjutsu defense

10) The bugs see in complete darkness or light

11) The bugs have developed strong 'teeth' so they can eat through fabric (and if upgraded, leather, rock, metal)

12) The bugs now come with stingers that force their venom into a person's bloodstream.

[someclown911]

B

[iceisnice]

I saw ganguro's post last night. I wonder why it got deleted, it had our next fight and the stats and jutsu of our entire team.

[vegeta]

It wasn't completed. It stopped mid-sentence for some reason.

[iceisnice]

IC, well I just skimmed through it once and missed that, then I went to another page....

[ganguro]

As you continue skimming down the highly detailed scroll, you catch a rather interesting passage from the author.

….The feeding habit of the Kikochu can only be described by one word: ravenous.They spend every second of their short lives eating; my research even suggests they would die in so little as 30 minutes without food! I’ve never seen anything like it…to an ignorant bystander, it would seem like my palm secretes acid in all it touches! It seems I have unlocked a new terror into the world; a staircase to our clan’s ascension to greatness…

The writer spends about four more pages describing in awe the destructive potential of the Kikochu; you quickly skip through it and resume at a more promising place.

The last few months have proven that the new breeds of insects are….difficult to control. I have dubbed this new species the “Kikochu,” a reference to the name all Aburame’s give to genetically-modified Kikaichu. The Kikochu seem to be completely independent from my influence, disobedient even at times! They resist my orders for mercy on my enemies, not stopping until barely a skeleton remains. Not only that, I’ve noticed that at times where I had neither the resources nor chakra to satiate their bottomless appetites, the Kikochu actually tried to devour parts of MY flesh for sustenance! Even with all my influence, I couldn’t force them to relent on their unholy feeding….I was forced to surrender my left hand to appease them. I’m starting to wonder whether or not I’m truly their master, or simply a convenient guide to lead them towards food and flesh.

You widen your eyes in shock at the author’s testimony. Not for one second have you ever doubted that the Kikochu were nothing, but your loyal slaves. If this man’s anecdote is true, however, the Kikochu could betray you at ANY time….you take a large gulp before continuing.

In order to prepare myself if (or when) this happens again, I have developed a counter-measure to cease the Kikochu’s dangerous venom. It’s almost poetic that the antidote for the poison is derived from the poison itself! To create the antidote, a combined solution of both my blood and chakra must be created. Possibly due to the unique antibodies in my system, my blood almost instantly neutralizes the venom once it makes contact with it, and my chakra temporarily feeds them until all of the venom can be neutralized. Once the Kikochu have fed on all of the chakra I have supplied, my blood should have encompassed enough of the area, so that their venom is instantly mitigated and can do no more bodily harm. The only downside to this, however, is that this antidote take a rather lengthy amount of time to be applied….only time will tell if I will develop a more efficient way to mitigate their wrath.

You say nothing as you gently put down the scroll. If what this man says is true, the Kikochu are simply a time bomb waiting to explode. You quickly memorize the information about creating the antidote, and resolve to test it the first chance you get.

--

The next day, you are once again in one of Konoha’s many training grounds. This time, however, Tsunade has brought an extra person to your team’s morning meeting. You don’t recognize the person, but his long dark hair, and extremely pale skin makes it hard to think you’ll forget what he look likes. His snake-like eyes seem to be peering directly at you.

“The data I’ve collected from each of you is still insufficient.” Tsunade says blankly. “It seems I will need a field-test to see each of your true potential. My good friend and fellow teammate Orochimaru will help me conduct such a test.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you all.” Orochimaru says politely.

“M-my Lord Orochimaru! It is truly an honor to be in your presence!” Inoichi admires as he gives the man a low, respectful bow.

“What’s up?” Shikaku says bluntly. You simply remain silent.

“…Anyways. The goal of this test is to simply engage Orochimaru in battle as if he was your enemy. I’ve ordered him not to go all-out, but he will be fighting back. By doing this, I hope to gain a more accurate perception on how each of you truly fight.” Tsunade says simply.

Orochimaru nods in agreement.

“Do not hesitate to use everything in your power against me. I will consider holding back a personal insult to both me and my abilities…..and I do not handle insults particularly well.” Orochimaru hisses in a tone that is both polite and intimidating.

You hear Inoichi give a large gulp before fearfully unsheathing his tanto. Shikaku only sighs before pulling a trench knife from his pocket and aiming it at Orochimaru. You simply flick off your right leather glove.

“Begin!” Tsunade orders before jumping out of the way.


Orochimaru quickly performs two seals, much too fast for you to recognize which ones. He then shoots his right hand towards all three of you.

“Hidden Snake Hands!” He yells as three, incredibly long snakes coil out of his sleeve and charge at you in a blinding pace.

Both you and Inoichi quickly roll right and out of the way, but Shikaku holds his ground.

“Shadow Tendril!” Shikaku yells as he materializes three shadow tentacles from the ground..

The tentacles quickly coil around the charging snakes, causing them to hiss angrily and attempt to wrangle free. You can tell that this technique is causing a great deal of strain on Shikaku’s stamina, beads of sweat are already pouring down his forehead.

“I got him! Go for the kill Ardal!” Shikaku yells in a strained voice.


Orochimaru says nothing before reaching into his pocket with his free hand and grabbing a vast number of shurikens between his fingers. He looks at you sullenly before throwing each of the steel weapons at you and Inoichi.


Ardal Aburame

A) Attempt to dodge all of the weapons while slowly closing the distance towards Orochimaru
B) Deflect all of the weapons with shurikens of your own, giving Inoichi more room to maneuver
C) Run straight through the middle and towards Orochimaru (Use in conjunction with another teammates skill)
D) Something else

Inoichi Yamanaka

A) Attempt to use Mind-Body Disturbance on Orochimaru
B) Attempt to use Mind-Body Switch on Orochimaru (This requires preparation)
C) Attempt to dodge all of the weapons while slowly closing the distance towards Orochimaru
D) Attempt to deflect all of the weapons with shurikens of your own, giving Ardal more room to maneuver
E) Run straight through the middle and towards Orochimaru (Use in conjunction with another teammates skill)
F) Something else

Shikaku Nara

1) Resume your technique and:

A) Continue holding the snakes down.
B) Attempt to use your tendrils to lift the snakes (and Orochimaru) into the air.
C) Something Else

2) End your technique and:

A) Attempt to catch Orochimaru with your shadow imitation technique.
B) Throw your trench knife at him
C) Attempt to close the distance and engage Orochimaru in taijutsu
D) Something else

----






Stats and Characters

Name: Ardal Aburame

Clan: Aburame (+2 Ninjutsu, +1 taijutsu, -2 stamina) (Slight increase in genjutsu defense due to bugs)

Ninjutsu (Includes your clan abilities): 5

Taijutsu: 12

Genjutsu: 3

Intelligence: 4

Strength: 3

Stamina: 1

Speed: 4

Chakra Pool: 100 (Stamina x 100)

Swarm Size: 5000 (Increase by 500 for each +1 stamina)

Techniques:

S-Rank Kikochu Grab (Requires 500 Kikochu): Ardal grabs an enemy, causing him to be infected by his Kikochu swarm. The swarm then releases powerful venom that causes necrosis of the cells, a highly painful and usually fatal action.

Antidote (Requires 50 Chakra): By mixing his blood and chakra, Ardal can create a mixture that abruptly neutralizes the venom caused by his Kikochu.


Name: Inoichi Yamanaka

Ninjutsu: 7

Taijutsu: 6

Genjutsu: 2

Intelligence: 4

Strength: 2

Stamina: 3

Speed: 5

Chakra Pool: 300

Techniques:

B-Rank Mind-Body Disturbance

A ninjutsu where one sends their chakra into the subject's nervous system, thus operating the enemies body at will. The enemies this technique is cast upon are completely under the users' control as their bodies become disconnected from their will. Control can be exerted even from a distance

Chakra Cost: 150

C-Rank Mind-Body Switch

A ninjutsu which allows the user to shoot their consciousness into another person, temporarily gaining complete control over them. The downside, however, is that the user’s body is left defenseless after this technique, and all damage done to the target controlled will be mirrored to the user. This technique also has a chance of missing , leaving the user defenseless for a short amount of time.

Chakra Cost: 200



Name: Shikaku Nara

Ninjutsu: 8

Taijutsu: 3

Genjutsu: 4

Intelligence: 12

Strength: 2

Stamina: 3

Speed: 3

Chakra Pool: 300

B-Rank Shadow Imitation Technique

The user extends his shadow at an alarming pace. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. The range of this technique is dependent on many variables such as: preexisting shadows, elevation, darkness, the chakra put into the technique, and the size of the shadow.

Chakra Cost: 150 and an additional 50 chakra per turn per person to maintain the technique.

C-Rank Shadow Tendril

The user manipulates his shadow, so that it materializes into the 3-dimensional world. The shadow takes the form of three thin tendrils which cannot be broken. The tendrils can be used as both an efficient method of restraining someone and a whip-like weapon. While the tendrils cannot be destroyed, if a large amount of resistance is put on it, chakra cost may spike.

Chakra Cost: 150 and an additional 50 chakra per turn to maintain this technique.

[iceisnice]

Ardal Aburame-D, run straight through the middle and towards Orochimaru while throwing shuriken at him.
Inoichi Yamanaka- D
Shikaku Nara- 1A

[giga]

I highly doubt we can hit Orochimaru this turn, especially when Shik just announced we have a 1HKO taijutsu move.


Ardal Aburame: Force bugs into the snakes, sending them devouring toward Orochimaru. The bugs' hunger will eat the snake right up to Oro and infect him as well, so he'd be forced to take time to dispel the snakes.

Shikaku Nara: Use the tentacles to block Oro's shurikens. Shik doesn't have enough chakra left to bind Oro, so it's best to just have him keep the tentacles up and pay 50 chakra per turn.

Inoichi Yamanaka: Mind-Body Disturbance on Orochimaru while he's taking the time to dispel his snakes. Ardal goes in to hit next turn.

[syco]

Yeah. That ^

[someclown911]

That ^(x2)

[vegeta]

Giga's vote

[iceisnice]

Change to giga's plan

[ganguro]

As the innumerable amount of steel weapons charge at you, a realization occurs. This Orochimaru character is undoubtedly a skilled shinobi; you’ve never seen anything like his unique snake techniques. Getting your bugs on him directly may prove to be an impossible feat…but perhaps there is an indirect way of doing it. You suddenly look towards the three struggling, hissing snakes.

“Shikaku! Deal with the kunais for me!” You yell as you sprint towards the three snakes.

Shikaku gives you a confused glance before his eyebrows raise in understanding. He gives a large grunt as he slams one of the snakes to the ground, and whips all the kunai out of the air with his free tendril.

You quickly run over to the downed snake; it hisses in fury, but the attack has obviously left it dazed. The snake gives a futile bite which you easily dodge by rolling to the side. You then grab the snake’s sticky, cold body.

The snake gives a painful screech as the venom begins to completely destroy its skin. The bugs quickly begin moving up towards Orochimaru, destroying parts of the snake every step of the way.

Orochimaru’s eyes widen in surprise as he witnesses the damage your bugs are causing. Just as the bugs are a meter from his hands, he quickly ends his techniques, making all three of the snakes drop lifelessly to the floor.

“Mind-Body Disturbance!” You hear Inoichi yell forcefully from out of your sight.

Orochimaru’s body abruptly tenses due to the technique. His eyes furrow in anger as he visibly struggles to break out of the technique.

“What’s wrong Orochimaru? Are my student’s too strong for you?” Tsunade yells with a mixture of pride and sarcasm.

“This is…..a minor inconvenience.” Orochimaru hisses back.

“Ardal! He’s….resisting my technique, with a willpower I’ve never seen before! I can only channel my technique for a little longer!” Inoichi yells, fatigue deeply ingrained in his voice and posture.

“Same…here.” Shikaku says weakly. “I’m about at my limit right now man.”


Shikaku:

1) Continue Shadow Tendril

A) Wrap around Orochimaru quickly, completely immobilizing him.
B) Stab him with all three of your shadows
C) Something else

2) End your technique

A) Charge at Orochimaru w/ your trench knife
B) Throw the Trench Knife at Orochimaru
C) Something Else

Ardal:

A) Charge at him with your Kikochu-filled hands
B) Attack him from afar with Shurikens
C) Something else.