1255/Enter the Beautiful Green Beast. Rock Lee Returns!!!

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Enter the Beautiful Green Beast. Rock Lee Returns !
Date of Scene: 03 January 2015
Location: Asian Plains
Synopsis: ROCK LEE ARRIVES !
Cast of Characters: Kotone Yamakawa, 481, Ziggy Grover, 601, 662, 673, 678


Rock Lee (678) has posed:
The Asian Plains are home to all manner of Japans, Koreas, Chinas, and what-have-you. Some worlds full of wuxia physics, other worlds with giant futuristic robots, and in some people are just plain chill.

Right now we find ourselves in the world some people may know as Madara Uchiha's home. But the thing about being on a super continent is that sometimes there's a bit of crossover.

The ninjas of a world known simply as Shadow Island have crossed over into Madara's world. But these are not ninja who use jutsu and chakra, these are ninjas shrouded in shadow, making it impossible for anyone to focus on their physical forms.

At least twenty of them drop down onto a small fishing village not known for any sort of ninja population, landing on the rooftops wielding katanas and daggers. The first thing one of them does is toss a small explosive into the middle of the village, which, in this world, causes even the common people to immediately dive for cover when it explodes.

The head ninja stands on the mast of a fishing boat, staring down at the chaos. "This is a so-called ninja world? I thought these pathetic people shot fireballs and wore bright colorful outfits? Hah!"

Of course, outside world intelligence isn't always reliable. Fishermen aren't ninjas!

Ziggy Grover has posed:
The benefits of working with a new world that spent little on resources save their own personnel was not lost on Dr. K. With the invasion of Venjix's forces forcing the last surviving members of the human race into one domed city, humanity -could- use anything they could get their hands on, and even with some outside influence from the multiverse at large, there were limitations to how much could be brought in.

"Ranger Series Operator Green, what -are- you doing?" Dr. K's voice crackles over Ziggy Grover's intercom.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Doc? I'm RUNNING FOR MY LIFE, IF YOU CAN'T TELL! These guys have -swords-!"

"You have an axe. Use it."

"I will if they'd just -give me a minute to get in GEAR!!!"

Diving underneath a boat, leaping over an oar, tumbling underneath a fishernet, and crawling for his life, Ziggy peeks up between the holes in the net up at a particularly persistent ninja.

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

The resulting explosion, misplaced as it was behind his back, which was currently facing the ground, results in exploding dirt, flying rock, and a flailing Ranger Green flying around in mid-air.

"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"!

Teresa (601) has posed:
    Shadowy anything tends to be nothing good. So, Teresa decides to flex some idle muscle and give the situation a look. Either way, the tall blonde is a bit out of place, when it comes to all these varying forms of Asia. She'd fit in more if there were some Europes around.

Alas.

Anyone carrying a sword the size of the one she is, however, might know how to use it well. And Teresa.. well. She does. Quite a bit of things trip at her senses, as she makes her approach. That is, a sort of fuzzy tingling behind her eyes. Usually what happens, when she doesn't have a fix on something strong. Drawing her sword, she continues to approach the village.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    While not herself a ninja, the arrival of one half-blooded kitsune definitely comes as an unexpected element in the plan these assasins had in mind. Whereas Ziggy is unprepared, Kirika comes ready for blood. She flings herself in between a group of the raiders and a group of innocents they were doubtlessly chasing beforehand, an ofuda seal forming right behind her.

    "You will not touch a single innocent life this day, lest you court vengeance." She says coldly, a hand drawing her blessed sword.

    Blade raised, she narrows her crimson eyes as she readies for a fight, prepared to cast down these cowards who expected such an easy fight.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa had just been out and about trying to get some local food, Rory might think it's odd a full con borg likes to eat and can still enjoy it. Still it's a way for Kotone to keep sane and be social right? The little fishing villiage had caught her attention. She had been haggling over fish with local when the attack had happened. She just about goes bug eyed for a moment.

"What the... damn it can't we even get a moment of peace?! Rory ... We really can't ignore this..."

Ko starts reaching for her pistol at this point but how is she going to track down shadow ninjas?!

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     There's something to be said for wandering. Walking from place to place may be exhausting, but it gives one plenty of opportunities to see all sorts of strange and interesting things. So long as one's feet function, they can take a person anywhere - and that's doubly true in the vast and strange Multiverse. So many gates are accessible just by walking. So many things are so close at hand.

     And there are always strong opponents.

     It's funny how often your wish comes true, isn't it?
     How many times did you wish for strong opponents to fight,
Ko
     ji
         rou
            -kun?

     A blue-haired man covered in black markings looks up just moments before the explosion erupts outside. His sake cup shakes a bit as smoke pours into the little inn-tavern. He looks down at it, thoughtfully, then stands and glances at the tavern-keeper, huddled behind the desk. The blue-haired man smiles, a contented, peaceful smile, and lifts a sword nearly as long as he is tall from the bar beside him.

     "Sorry," the blue-haired man apologizes, holding up a hand, "I'm afraid I can't pay you right now. There's something I need to go attend to."

     "Hey, are you crazy?" The innkeeper demands as the blue-haired man slings the massive sword over his shoulder, "You'll die out there! Those are ninja, you know! Ninja! Real ninja! What good is a swordsman against real ninja?"

     The blue-haired man flicks his eyes back at the innkeeper, paused at the door. The innkeeper suddenly shudders as the black markings on the man's skin seem to crawl and shift, as if they were living things. Worse, looking into his eyes, the innkeeper watches as little black marks wriggle about in those violet pupils. There was something disturbing about the blue-haired man's smile, too - it was too peaceful, too at ease, too gentle.

     "Y-you'll die! Hey! You can't die until you've paid me back, you hear me?! This was good sake!"

     The blue-haired man laughs politely. "It was very good sake. Yes. Very good sake. Please hold onto it for me. I'll be back in a few moments."

     "You better pay me back! You hear, you weirdo?!" The innkeeper shouts.

     The blue-haired man steps out of the inn and looks around. He looks from Kirika, to Teresa, to Ziggy, to the men wielding explosives. He's tall, and fair, and even beautiful - but those black markings are unsettling, and there's something fundamentally *wrong* about him, despite his peaceful smile.

     "Ha...how unpleasant," the man observes in a tone that in no way matches the words. He reaches for his back and draws forth the katana - the nodachi - the ludicrously long blade, nearly five feet long.

     The man wanders forward into the midst of the conflict, as if heedless of his own life. He doesn't look at either group; instead, he swings his massive katana thoughtfully, then levels it at the men with the explosives.

     "I am Kojirou Sasaki, Avenger-class Heroic Spirit. I have only one question."

     The blade swings over to point at the village defenders. "Are you strong?"

     It flicks back to the ninja attackers. "Are you strong enough to make this worth my while? Or are you weak enough that you're willing to pay for my drink and let me be on my way?"

     Hee hee hee...does it matter? You'll kill them all the same.
     Find out who's responsible, and play the hero for a little while. It might even be fun. You haven't ever been a hero, have you?

     I'd like to take that away from you.

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
The twenty ninjas are already swarming, but when the elites suddenly make it known that they might be a problem, they start pairing off. Two on one. They're fast, really fast, and they keep attempting to backstab and flank using their paired tactics.

The lead ninja continues to stand on the mast, watching. Then Avenger appears, demanding strong opponents, and the ninja laughs in a voice of multiple tones. "Strong opponents, eh? I don't know if these are the ninjas from this world, but I'll accept that they want to die!"

The leader doesn't jump, he simply leaves after images until he's standing in front of Avenger, as if some bad CG effect dragged him across the space. "I'm strong. Now die!" He stabs forward, going directly for the gut.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "This isn't some kind of stunt?!" Rory's taken by surprise by the sight she comes across, having just headed outside with Kotone. Something WEIRD is going on. She looks evenly each way at the rooftops, spotting some strange figures indeed. "What am I looking at...?!" Rolan, what is a Ninj--.... WHAT?!"

    Did she not know what a Ninja is? Ooooooi.

    "... some of my drones are on the way but they'll take a minute or two to arrive. What do you plan to do?!"

Kirika (481) has posed:
    All Kirika hears is the bitching of that innkeeper just before Sasaki arrives on-scene, addressing the ninja and the other Elites present. She remains focused on her own opponents, tightening her grasp on her blade as she engages her pair of foes.

    They're fast, but they haven't dealt with someone like her. Lunging towards both shinobi, Kirika engages with speed and fury inhuman to behold, her sword blazing with flames as it deflects blows and strikes out in return. Her tail curls and rears like a scorpion's stinger, lashing out and sweeping at the ninja Kirika isn't presently engaged with to trip him up in the process, keep him off her back as she and the first ninja duel.

    God, she hates it when these pricks have to play cute with her like this.

Ziggy Grover has posed:
Landing on his front, Ranger Green lets out a small whimper, clutching the ground as though he were assuring himself that yes, the ground was real, and yes, it was spectacular.

"Ranger Green. You're within normal operating parameters. Such as it is," Dr. K's voice is flat, unsympathetic, and businesslike.

"Ugh, all right, Doc, I'm getting up. Though it wouldn't hurt if you said, 'are you all right, Ziggy?' I'd even settle for 'Ok?' before you send me in to go find one of those... what do you call them ninja chieftains. What am I supposed to do, go "Hai, hai, hihi, how how?" when I find one...?" Ranger Green whines as he staggers to his feet, moments before he's beset by a couple of ninjas.

"Hum... hai, hai... how how...?" The green-NOTSPANDEX-clad figure flails, bending over half-backward, before rolling his waist about to duck underneath a katana, slapping his holster to fish out his laser pistol and...

THWACK...

"Aw man...!"

Diving forward for the pistol, Ranger Green comes up tumbling, the weapon having morphed into his Power Axe. "Ok, you... where'd you guys go now? ACK!"

Bringing up his axe in time to fend off two simultaneous ninja attacks, Ranger Green exclaims, "Why did it have to be NINJAS?!"

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Kojirou's black eyes flicker over to the man. A gut stab was a lethal attack for the vast majority of human beings. He probably believed Kojirou was a human being. Most likely these people had never seen something like Kojirou. Most likely these people had never seen something like anyone in the village. They were fools with loud mouths, gutsy men and women who thought they were important because they had picked up a sword and killed someone. They thought they were real fighters because they had some cute tricks.

     Kojirou doesn't even make a show of it. He just steps slightly to the side. It isn't faster than the human eye. It isn't super-speedy. It isn't like lightning. To all appearances, he only barely dodged. It probably even looks like it would've been a close cut for the enemy ninja. Maybe Kojirou isn't as strong as he thinks he is.

     Anyone paying really really close attention might notice Kojirou calmly going to liberate the man's wallet in the process of dodging. Alright, maybe he's more focused on money than he is on killing the man?

     But the experts - the /real/ swordfighters, the people who are actual martial artists, and maybe even the guy Kojirou's dealing with - would notice differently.

     Kojirou's step was exactly calculated to narrowly dodge. In the span of a moment, with complete confidence in himself and his abilities, Kojirou made the necessary adjustments to look like he was only narrowly dodging and stealing the other man's wallet.

     "Oh," Kojirou observes, his calm voice polite, but laced with a layer of mockery, "That was very close. You almost had me."

     As if adding insult to insult, Kojirou slides his sword back into its unwieldy sheathe. He bends down, likely ducking another strike from the enemy, and picks up a conveniently-placed fishing pole, likely blown free of some shop or another by the explosion.

     Kojirou shoulders the fishing pole thoughtfully. "I'll make a bet with you. But only because I'm very bored. Understand that this is the kindest I'm able to be at the moment, hm?"

     He taps the fishing pole against his shoulder. "I'll give you two more chances to take my head. If you fail in that time, I'll have to attack you. And if I attack you, you'll die. If, at any point, you wish to walk away, just throw your money down on the ground and do so. You've done some damage to this town, and I hate to go somewhere without settling my debts, so I'll call that even."

     "I can't say the same for these others...but I, at least, will allow you to walk away."

     Kojirou's violet eyes suddenly gleam. "But if you fail to take my head, then I'm going to kill you in one strike." It's not a brag. It's a /certainty/. There's an icey tone to Kojirou's calm voice that makes it abundantly clear that he has no false pride, no false modesty. He isn't bragging.

     He's /promising/.

     Are you going to be a showy hero, Kojirou-kun? Are you going to drive them off and get their money and save the whole town?
     Hee hee hee. I like that.

Teresa (601) has posed:
    "Ah. Lovely. This sort."

Teresa lets out a sigh, as a couple of the ninja try to outflank her. Her weapon makes that difficult. For something so large and heavy-looking, she's not able to move it blindingly fast, but with a single hand. Any attempts to attack her from behind are utterly pointless, as if the woman has eyes in the back of her head. That great blade of hers is able to parry everything they're throwing at her, regardless of the angle or direction they're attacking from. One of them even tries throwing knives, but her sword is a blur. Whatever steel it's made of, it cuts right through them.

"Hm. That's it, then. Alright.."

A loud 'woosh', and one of the ninjas stops moving. Not difficult to see why, as his head has been cleanly taken off his shoulders. What's more, it's balanced on the end of Teresa's sword. Just sitting there, balanced on the flat of the blade. The other one? Well, he's not sure how to react to that, once his partner's body slumps to the ground and his heart is done pumping out it's last. She turns to him, her silver eyes regarding him coldly, "Go on, then, boy. Flee, before I change my mind."

Then a 'thunk', as she lets that head slide off her sword and onto the ground.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "No it's not a stunt and wait you don't know what a ninja is? Shadow Warriors, spys, assassins..."

No she has no idea about a certian loud organge ninja in a jumpsuit.

"I'm going to run some interferance if we can wait for them to get distracted and go for them, if they are going to rmpage ike this I can't just sit by."

She pulls out her pistol and she takes note oas Ranger Green whom she knows showing up along with Kirika but FA? she has no idea whom this guy is. R
She moving in and she says

"...All right enough of this how about you get out of here and we all keep breathing?"

Yes she's trying to put on a show of it might not go so well.

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
"You plan to die!" a ninja shouts as one flanks Rory from the left and right, then they both stab their daggers forward for her neck. One of them is actually trying to kick Kotone -while- stabbing.

The two flanking Ziggy have chosen to try and rapidly swing their swords at vital points of his body, taking the large axe for a weakness. "This -must- be one of the ninja! The one thing we learned is that the more powerful they are, the brighter their colors! They're like poison insects, if they're powerful they don't need stealth! Take him out!" This earns two more ninjas jumping down at Ziggy, for a total of four.

"What?! How dare you!" the lead ninja shouts, his face not visible through the shadows, the outrage in his tone is palpable. "The hubris... I'll kill you in a single strike!" He suddenly musters up as much speed as he can possibly manage, swinging in a blur toward Avenger's neck. This man is fast, but beyond whatever shadowy technique they're using, they don't seem to be physically augmented. Just very skilled.

"What is this woman?!" one of the men flanking Teresa shouts, two of them backing away slowly. "N-no one can wield a sword that large... the boss said the people in this world weren't real ninjas!"

The first ninja Kirika is engaged with is tripped, and the one she's dueling is trying to decapitate her with his sword. It's not long before the man directly behind her springs back up and tries to grab her by the waist and push her off balance. "We can't tell if these are the ninjas from this world or not, their abilities are too varied! They barely have a single thing in common!" the one trying to grab her yells at the other.

"YOU ARE INCORRECT!!!" comes a voice from what seems to be a flying taxi overhead. A green blur grabs one of the ninja attacking Ziggy, then jumps back into the air, spinning and piledriving the grunt into the ground.

When the blur pops back up to his feet, he stands up straight, arm behind his back, and one hand held up as if to tell people to come at him. "I am Rock Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha! And the ninja of this land have one thing in common... the undying flame of the Land of Fire!!!" he yells this just as one of the men come at him, then starts to repeatedly punch the man in the face before continuing.

If one looks down at his left leg, they'll see a mechanical device with some sort of timer, counting down from thirty minutes. "I am going to help save this village in..." He looks down at his leg. "Thirty minutes! Then I have to pay my cab fare or my leg will explode! BEGIN!!!"

Ziggy Grover has posed:
For such a 'powerful ninja', Ranger Green certainly spent more time ducking and fleeing from katana strikes, with the occasional AXE FLAIL to keep back the blows. Using one such axe flail, the Green Ranger kicks out with a foot, falling over onto his back, and then tip-tupping back onto his feet.

"Stealth would be -good-! It's not my fault that I'm wearing green spandex!" Ranger Green responds as he fends off one more.

Even the deafest person in the village could hear the outraged "IT'S NOT SPANDEX!" erupting from Ranger Green's communicator.

And then Rock Lee bounces in, taking one out, and the ranger takes advantage to wave the axe AND then bop a ninja in the face.

Shaking his punching hand, Ranger Green's tone of relief is audible. "Nice to meet you, Green Beast! You can call me the Stupendous Green Beast of Corinth!"

Back in Corinth, an angry Dr. K stops in mid-rant to mouth, with an incredulous look, 'Stupendous Green Beast... of Corinth?'

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika doesn't have the massive blades that Teresa and Kojirou wield, but it's clear that she can fight just fine with a modestly sized one as it is. In fact, she practically drags the fight out so she can keep focused on both opponents at once, evading and parrying with almost contemptous regard for her enemies.

    "You are all such cowardly amateurs." She spits, detest laced in her words as she finally tires of this charade.

    Her efforts to cut the first ninja down are stopped by the other's embrace, and she glances down at him with irritation.

    Her hand reaches down to grab the ninja by his wrist, squeezing hard enough for a sickening crack to be heard.

    Her blade stops the first ninja's sword from separating her head from her shoulders, and she gives off a kick to jotsle the ninja off-balance. "I could kill you both with my bare hands and not even have it register in my mind. Your skills are pathetic, only saving you by your own cowardice that you would attack mere fishermen and their families."

    Grasping the second by his neck, Kirika delivers a headbutt to his face before releasing him to collapse.

    Then she raises her blade to the neck of the swordsman, blessed flames threatening to burn his flesh just as holy steel cleaves it like silk. "You will surrender before I reduce you to a state worse than that of your partner, or I will have your heads delivered to your families as punishment for your crimes. Those are my terms, defy them at your peril."

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     He's slightly better than Kojirou expected. That's a pleasant surprise. Not much of one, of course, because the man's not really...well, the problem isn't that he's not skilled. The problem is that he's attacking something like Kojirou.

     Again, Kojirou only narrowly avoids the dodge. This time, the tip of the blade slices across his throat, drawing a strange, viscuous, black mud from the little line. That viscuous mud looks...fundamentally wrong. It doesn't look like people-blood. It looks /not-right/.

     Kojirou reaches up and wipes the blood away wih a flick of his fingers, making a big show of being surprised by the man's ability to land a blow on his throat. His violet eyes flicker with shock and outrage - all faked - as he examines his own blood, like he's never seen it before.

     The man may not even notice Kojirou wiping the tiny trickle of blood off the other man's sword.

     It's a street performer's trick. It's nothing really fancy. It's certainly not real swordsmanship. In truth, Kojirou hated doing things like this. But if it would satisfy his bloody companion, did it really matter? This man was much too weak to fight him. It would be like slaughtering a lamb. It would be undignified, unpleasant for both of them - for Kojirou because he had to wield something so precious to him against someone so far below him, and for the other man because he would be dead.

     Being dead is unpleasant. Kojirou's been dead before. It's unpleasant.

     "Ah...that was much closer!" Kojirou observes, sounding surprised, but again with that layer of sarcasm underneath, "You're very skilled, aren't you? Are you the best in your village? You've practiced for a very long time."

     "It would be a shame to let that practice go to waste. One more chance."

     Kojirou doesn't need to look at Lee to notice Lee's arrival. The young man was more a martial artist than the man Kojirou was currently pretending to fight. He was bombastic, clearly, but that meant nothing to Kojirou - there were plenty of bombastic people who were great fighters.

     Kojirou dearly wanted to turn and challenge all of these people. These people were clearly vastly better than the man Kojirou was fighting. They were skilled warriors from across the Multiverse. It made his palm itch just being here. It made his palm itch just looking at them all through his Eye of the Mind. Just to perceive them...

     He wanted to fight someone worth all this time...!

     A heart-pounding story of heroic betrayal, eh, Kojirou-kun?

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa looks as the ninjas seem to not be wanting to play nice okay then she move rapidly just barely getting out of harms way but isn't able to attack back for a moment she looks at them for a moment trying to figure out a plan and well she does have her shock gloves on and she rather than fire her gun attemps to seave and punch them, if it connects they will get enough of a jolt stong enough to possibly drop an adult human into being unable to fight.

She has no idea whom they are but she's going to do her damnest to figtht she hears Dr. K 's comment about it snot spandex she almost wants to chide that oh it's latex? But now is not the time for that with the re2uest to take them alive hopefully she can do something.

"Seriously a mass of ninjas? There's an old joke in my world about this soirt of thing."

The tacnet is starting to prove it's use and she wondersd about it as a possible thing for the mektroopers of X com...

Rory White (673) has posed:
    With Kotone wanting to run off, Rory would prefer to ready medical supplies, get her Tacnet going! The drones - tiny chihuauha-sized devices - do zip from the nearest warp gate and take up eye in the sky positions to relay...

    But they won't be ready just yet.

    Spotting the danger, she engages her mental acceleration and raises her hands in a very mechanically calculated motion. The palms come up just barely in time! ... in time to shield her neck, that is. The daggers bury into her palms, slicing through skin and *CLANG!*

    ... They're drawing some blood, or something that looks awfully like blood, but Rory doesn't seem pained by this at ALL. IN fact her expression hardly changes.

    "Stop before you're badly hurt!" She insists, jsut as the tacnet comes up. A visual overlay shown to her and Kotone both depicting a map of the village with the locations of all friends and foes in sight, using thermal imaging to try and compensate for the strange shadow mask...

Teresa (601) has posed:
Teresa just gives her sword another swing, the blood tossed off it in the process. She exhales hard, out of her nose, and sheathes her weapon. She's done, here. Not wanting to stick around anymore, for the aftermath, she goes about her business and is on her way. No parting words, or anything like that. Just a look of disgust.

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
Second ninja bopped in the face, Ziggy finds himself with one trying to grab his axe, and the other attempting to stab him in the chest. "Now there's two of them! Kill this one, fast!" the ninja trying to grab the axe orders his partner.

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" the ninja whose wrist is crushed by Kirika's yells, then is promptly knocked out. This causes the swordsman to listen to her words -very- carefully, then he starts to back up, and promptly begins running away.

It's hard to say from where exactly, but an arrow is launched directly through his head, dropping him dead.

Apparently these ninjas don't allow cowardice.

"What I am is none of your business!" the leader answers, slowly stepping back from Kojirou. "All I know is, we're superior to the ninjas of this world! We've honed stealth techniques that they can only imagine!" He jumps into the air in a very strangely slow manner, leaving after images again. But he -also- leaves about ten little fuse bombs, all ready to go off in a chain around the resurrected man. "Now you really -will- die!"

The ninjas stabbing at Rory try to pull their weapons from her palms. But being so occupied with this makes them very easily caught off guard by Kotone's shock gloves. "GUUUUHHHH!!!" they both yell at about the same time, dropping down into unconsciousness, but still covered in weird shadowy darkness. But there are some villages who are laying around hurt, thankfully no casualties, but people who were caught in some of the initial blasts who will require medical attention.

Lee, however, starts backflipping across the the area until he's standing in front of Teresa, then holds his hand up at if to tell her to stop. "It is true that these people are very dangerous, and that they hurt these villagers. But to kill those weaker than yourself, whom you can easily subdue, is wrong! At a later time, we will settle this in an honorable duel!"

he says at a later time because, well, there are still ninja jumping around, so he begins to backflip some more, mostly walking on his hands as he fights a pair of them with his feet, parrying blades with the bottoms of his soles. "You ninjas should go back to your world! This is not a safe place for you. You must respect the dangers of the Multiverse, it is not a thing to toy with!"

Ziggy Grover has posed:
The Beautiful Green Beast bounces off. "Well, that's a good sign, right...? That has to be the Ninja we're looking for..." Ranger Green replies, for the moment free enough to put his hands at his waist and NOD approvingly.

"Go to work, -Green Beast-," Dr. K responds in clipped tones.

"Right, right! Excuse me...! Coming through...!" Flip, punch, leapfrog, duck out of the way, and generally weaving his way in a chaotic manner, Ranger Green moves his way up against...

"Oh man, are those -bombs-?"

"Quite likely. To disarm them..."

"UP!" And using his axe like a shovel, Ranger Green tosses them all skyward as hard as he can.

"... RANGER GREEN!"

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Kojirou permits himself to smile as the man jumps over him. He doesn't move, not even to track the man's motions. He just remains standing there, fishing pole in hand, calm and relaxed smile on his face. The strange, twitching black sigils relax into a formation, spinning into place in his eyes.

     The man reneged on their bet. It was really his own fault, now. Kojirou couldn't do anything to stop him. Ziggy throws some of the bombs up in the air, and Kojirou tracks them in the back of his mind - but the few at Kojirou's feet directly...well.

     The bombs go off. The explosion is loud and strong, consuming Kojirou in a burst of smoke. His presence utterly vanishes - his fighting spirit, extinguished in an instant. Was he killed? Was the swordsman being too cocky for his own good?

     The smoke clears. Kojirou is still standing there. His clothes are ruffled, his ribbon burned, his hakama smoldering. His body looks like it's covered in small burns. But the fishing pole...he protected the fishing pole? He protected something so worthless at that kind of cost to his own body?

     The Heroic Spirit turns. The fishing pole falls at his side like the over-long blade. He flashes it across the air once, twice, three times, as if testing its weight and flexibility.

     Make it showy, Kojirou-kun, and maybe I'll even let you have this moment for your own.

     Kojirou chuckles at nothing at all as he walk towards the man. The strange swordsman takes no stance. He doesn't raise the makeshift wooden willow blade in any manner whatsoever. He doesn't speak, he doesn't threaten, he doesn't make a fancy speech about right and wrong. He just walks forward slowly, inexorably slowly. His free hand pulls the smoldering ribbon from his hair to tuck it into the smoking, beat-up hakama. His blue hair falls behind him, rolling like waves.

     Then he stops and considers something for a moment.

     The next instant is a hurricane of violence. In the blink of an eye, it starts, and as the eye opens, it's over. Kojirou's fishing pole slashes outwards through the air. It looks absolutely ridiculous. It looks *comical*. He's not even close to the man, nor to any of the other ninjas around him, nor to any of the afterimages.

     Then he settles the fishing pole to the side.

     The hook is the key. The hook moves faster than a hook has any right to move. It whistles through the air, cutting throats as deftly as a dagger, swinging about like a wrecking ball. All the ninja in Kojirou's immediate area are given the treatment- not one is spared.

     The man he was fighting is left standing. Kojirou flicks the blood off the end of the hook and takes another step forward. He swats the fishing pole forward again. It snaps through the air with a loud *KEERACK*.

     The hook darts along the skin of the man's neck. It sinks in.

     Kojirou doesn't tug it out. He holds it there for a long moment, his terrible, peaceful smile locked on the man's.

     Then he reels the man in by the jugular, tears the hook from his throat with a jerking motion, and throws the line over his shoulder.

     He looks back at the multiversal defenders.

     "Are you strong?" He demands.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "I must ask you something." Kirika addresses the remainder of the ninja here.

    "Before we finish this, do the rest of you wish to come quietly?" She asks, her tone oddly sweet and polite for a moment before she pauses silently.

    She recieves only jeers and shouts, and the kitsune sighs. "Suit yourselves."

    She sheathes Kinugiri, and pops her neck as she shoves the unconcious ninja aside, before she lunges forth into a good remainder of the attacking force.

    A series of punches and kicks are delivered as Kirika parries and dodges blades of all sorts, her tail idly smacking aside those who try to stab her in the back. She also delivers swift and fierce blows to many of them with the scabbard of her sword like a club, her blows only held back enough that she will merely knock these fools out for a time.

    Rock Lee may be a complete idiot, but he has a point; killing these men would be a waste.

    She easily hoists one ninja overhead before swinging him about with the strength of ten men, flinging him towards his buddies just as two red eyes glare at Kojirou the minute Kirika hears his question. She does not answer, her own display of martial might speaking for her.

    And as if practically ignoring others, Kirika storms towards the inn and has a seat. "Sake for two." She addresses the owner, handing him a bag of coin as payment.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    With people toppling down and bleeding out everywhere, Rory's in a bit of a panic and pulls out a pack full of Nanobandages. She's staying far away from Kojirou however. "N..... not that way! Could you not have di-...disabled them?" She'll smack Nanobandages down on bleeding necks.

    Given how quickly a cut THERE can lead to bleeding out, nobody will be walking around anytime soon. But the Nanobandages should put them in medical stasis while stitching things together...

    There aren't going to be ENOUGH Nanobandages though. She only has about 10!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone is moving at a high speed still and she's not sure what ot think about the ninja she sees they are down and wonders what they are xovered about. She sees none of the people are dead well the local and she's going to try to do what she can to help them. She notices the other fighters are better suited at that so she's going to fall into helping those who are down and this otehr guy? Who the hell is this man, as seriously she's not sure what to think of the heroic spirit.

"Rory we should focuys on helping the people who are down as best she can at the moment.

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
The bombs tossed up by Ziggy explode in a chain above his head. The shockwave is likely to push him back a bit, but the ninjas who were attacking him are starting to back off.

Of course, backing off probably also has something to do with Kojirou going all out and slicing through men like cheap hotdogs. This finally catches Lee's attention, and he immediately slides over, catching the leader before the man can fall. Rock Lee's eyes meat Kojirou's, full of rage and sparkling tears. "This much death... this is unnecessary!"

He carefully lowers the man to the ground, then begins to slowly approach Kojirou. "That woman, I could contain my outrage for that woman... but you are enjoying this! I will not allow you to continue this senseless slaughter of men we greatly outclass! Am I strong..."

He grits his teeth, barely able to contain himself. Then he launches himself forward, trying to land with his knees on Kojirou's shoulders, purely with the intent to just start rapidly punching the man in the face with as much bone breaking force as he can manage.

Ziggy Grover has posed:
Staggering back with the force of the chain explosion, Ranger Green exclaims, "Whoa. What a rush...!" before staring at all the blood being carved through this.

"Uuurkkk... I can't afford to toss my cookies, not inside -this helmet-...! How do I get it off, Doc...?!"

"Swallow," is Dr. K's unemotional reaction.

"... gross...!" Ranger Green says, clutching his stomach. "Uh... yeah, strong. Nuh uh, nope, not me, you got the wrong person, my -stomach- is stronger than me."

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Kojirou looks at Rory for a long moment. There's neither compassion nor kindness in those terrible violet eyes. The gaze remains locked on them is deep, and in its depths, the wriggling black sigils seem to writhe most unnaturally, as though they, too, were gazing on her. As though those sigils were a separate being gazing out through those pretty violet eyes.

     He laughs, slightly. It's a gentle, peaceful laugh. It's a laugh like a stream carrying a leaf down a brook; it's utterly at odds with the man's way of carrying himself, with the strange sigils carved across his body, with the effortlessness he utilized to murder those men. Kojirou's laugh is like moonlight breaking through the cherry-blossom trees. That such a laugh belongs to such a creature must seem terribly bizarre. He also glances at Ziggy, his smile still even as he listens to the man grow sick to his stomach. He offers no advice. He just stands, listening.

     Then he turns away from them to watch Kirika's display. She shows off her power, and makes her intentions quite clear. It's been some time since he dranks sake with a woman.
     How unlike you, Kojirou-kun.

     Kojirou shrugs, almost imperceptibly, and looks up at the sky, tapping the fishing pole lightly on his shoulder. His smile is unwavering. "What do you think, then? Should we have a cup with her? It seems almost rude not to. She went to such trouble to show off."

% Ha. Look behind you.

     Kojirou glances at Lee's eyes. The boy's tears are a drop of water in the vast, still pond that is Kojirou; in Kojirou's eyes is a disconnection with the world around him, an apathy for the universe, and the strange, wriggling black sigils.

     He doesn't respond to Lee's protests. Kojirou realizes that there isn't really any point. The boy's too angry at him to bother listening, and frankly, Kojirou doesn't care. He looks strong. He looks really strong.

     The boy is *fast*. Very, very fast. He lands on Kojirou's shoulders, his fists flashing like lightning. Kojirou can't help but appreciate it. The boy got inside his guard rapidly, and that was impressive. He deserved a reward.

     The fishing pole falls away from him. In the span of Lee's first punch, the distinctive *shnnnnnnk* of the Monohoshi Zao being removed from its sheathe is audible throughout the village. The first punch lands, hard enough to shatter Kojirou's cheek. The second punch lands, hard enough to shatter the other cheek.

     The next moment, the impossibly long sword flashes upwards, interceding between Lee's fists and Kojirou's face. The speed with which the sword moves is impossibility itself. Though it's thin, though it's mere inches from his face, though it's long and unwieldy and probably *impossibly* fragile, the sword moves like water, turning aside Lee's blows as if it was cutting through water. It doesn't /soak/ them - Lee is too strong for the sword to /soak/ his blows. It parries. The range, the angle, all unfavorable...but it parries each blow as though it had a mind of its own.

     Kojirou brings the sword upwards through the last strike. The impossibly-long sword plants itself under Lee's throat.

     He doesn't strike.

     "Please excuse me," Kojirou offers politely, raising the jingling bag of coins he stole earlier. "I had promised the innkeeper I would repay him. Once that's finished..."

     Kojirou's eyes flash with wild delight. "I believe there's a line."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone now is just not moving to fight she's working to help the villiagers who have been caught up in this. She has to wonder about the guy who looks a bit like an action movie star from the last century though. She's busy using what she can to help. She doesn't like what's going down with that Samurai like guy but then again those ninja attacked and she's more worried about the injured. Hopefully the local young man who seems he might be connected to law enforcement? Could likely make use of questioning the two she did managed to disable.

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
Lee doesn't relent despite all of the parrying, until he notices about promising to repay someone. That in of itself doesn't sway him, but it does snap his mind back to the timer on his leg. It says five minutes.

This is about when Lee begins tossing handcuffs at everyone who seemed to be helping out. "Cuff these men, I only have five minutes! And Konoha ninja will be here soon to take them back!"

He looks around, hands suddenly on his head. "I cannot avenge anyone's slaughter if my leg blows up! I need cab fare!" He then spots Ziggy, and immediately rushes over to him. The man appears to be wearing some very fancy clothing, he -must- be rich. "I need a loan, I will be in your debt, or do any work that you require. But I need to pay that taxi driver in the sky or my leg will explode!"

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Kojirou, once Lee's hopped off his shoulders, walks calmly over to the dying man Rory is helping with. He feels around for a purse, removes it, and tosses it at Lee.

     "Dead men don't much care for money," he notes as he heads into the inn, Monohoshi Zao vanishing back into its sheathe with a quite shhhhhnk.

Ziggy Grover has posed:
Covering his mouth... or where his mouth would be if his helmet wasn't in the way, with rasped breathing, Ranger Green hunches over, holding it in, until he looks up when Lee asks him for money. "Uh... I have no pockets, and we don't -get paid-," he says, unclasping his hands from his helmet and miraculously adopting the ALL'S WELL CITIZENS pose on his waist.

Because Power Rangers are ROLE MODELS.

And then Ranger Green points! "Look out! It's a... wallet?"

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "Is that an explosive?!" Rory looks up from treating one of the civilians. Splitting nanobandages has become the key trick here! Once patiets are stabilized she moves on to the next. There's little she can do but hope her gear will do its job though...

    But when there's an exchange between Lee and Avenger, she freezes in place to watch, mesmerized. How... had that happend at all?!

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
Lee catches the wallet, looking down at it with a frown, then over at the body of the man it likely came from. "I will honor this man's memory, despite all of the bad things he has done! I will use this leg that was saved with his money to redeem his soul!" he declares, before jumping up to a roof, then up to the cab, paying the driver.
"Here is your money, and probably extra!" he says before thrusting his foot forward to have the bomb removed.

"'Ey, kid, I knew you'd come through. They always do. And when they don't, well... -boom-. Eheheh." The bomb is removed, and Lee hops back from the flying cab before it zooms up into the sky.

He sighs as he lands, then takes a deep breath. "It appears that we have contained the situation, and honor duels will be had to settle some things later!"

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Kojirou enters the inn with the same peaceful smile he had when he left. The idea that this man is the same man who just casually butchered a small group of warriors with a fishing pole is so alien, so unbelievable, as to be shocking. He calmly tosses the wallet he liberated from the leader at the innkeeper, then sits down somewhere near Kirika.

     The innkeeper stares at him and backs away like he's seen a ghost. He fumbles over himself, ducking down under the bar. Kojirou simply pours himself a bowl of sake, bows his head, and takes a sip.

     "There's something distinctly different about village sake," Kojirou notes aloud to no one in particular, "It's a unique taste. Something special about it that processed sake just never got right. A flavor unique to each village...I suppose one could say that it's the spirit of the village."

     You aren't funny.

     Kojirou smirks and takes another sip. His face is battered and his body looks burned, but the injuries don't appear to be hampering the Heroic Spirit all that much.

     Battle Continuation is a hell of a drug.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone is hard at work at this point and she's just kinda watching the exchange between the two fighters she's seen things like this she looks over to Rory and there's a look of understanding on her face. <<You haven't seen anything like this before have you? There's ... things right out of fiction in this place.>>

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika doesn't refuse Kojirou when he uses her bowl. That's why she specified 'sake for two' after all. When he arrives, she nods to him quietly before taking a sip as well. Her own injuries are minute, swiftly mending through her body's qualities. As she takes another sip, the kitsune makes a thoughtful sound.

    "I remember going from town to town back home in Kasun, there was a mountain village vastly different from this. The sake there was sweeter than this. This blend is a tad stronger, I think." muses the fox, ears quirking.

    Eventually she looks Kojirou in the eye, brow raised slightly as she inclines her head gently to the swordsman. "I am Kirika Matsuyama, child of Shukutou Nine-Tailed. You asked myself and others that came today their strength?"

    Sip. "I believe today their actions speak for themselves. I myself am curious. I've seen no shortage of those who use the sword in my travels across the worlds, but you in particular seem to seek them out actively."

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
Meanwhile, outside of the bar, ninja wearing mostly blue uniforms start to land on the rooftops. They're working on gathering the men up, including the dead ones. They question a few people, but largely seem to have things in hand.

Rock Lee himself speaks to one of the Konoha ninja, mostly random grunts. "I will be joining the Union. So if anyone would like to escort me when this person comes, you are welcome to!"

Ziggy Grover has posed:
Taking a deep breath, Ranger Green does a long, exhausted sound. "Is it all over?" he asks, before reaching for his left wrist. A click...

And then boof, the Ranger uniform is gone, and what is left is a thin, gawky lanky dude with wild hair in a leather jacket. "Whew. Okay. Oh, the Union... you're going to like it...!"

Rock Lee (678) has posed:
"Wow, that is an amazing transformation jutsu!" Rock Lee runs up to Ziggy and stares, then suddenly moves to hop onto the taller man's back, pointing forward. "Let's go to the Union! You lead the way! You are still very skinny, so I will ride on your back to give you extra weight training!"

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     "Ah," Kojirou observes peacefully, "The mountains are nice this time of year, aren't they? Covered with snow, they stand still, like they're waiting to shake free of their shells and rise once again. The forests, the mountains - it's as if the whole world stands still. I remember it very well, though it's been such a long, long time."

     Sip. As Kirika meets Kojirou's eye, she sees the same thing everyone else did - the horrible, strange sigils in his eyes, the black etchings against beautiful violet, the perfect stillness and tranquility, the vast sea of detachment amidst a mad and whirling multiverse. Kojirou Sasaki, whatever else he is, is calm to the point of unrealness. Even though he sits, alone, surrounded by people who disapprove of his actions, he's utterly unbothered. Either he's so arrogant, so self-assured, that he can fight them all...or...

     ...or...

     Kojirou breaks the moment to look up and smile distantly at the ceiling. He pours himself another bowl. "Youth are impulsive these days." He barely looks older than his mid-twenties. Nostalgia?

     He takes another sip. "Oh. I don't know if it's stronger. I'm afraid I haven't had the privilege of sake in a very, very long time. I'm nothing but a swordsman who spent his life chasing a foolish dream, after all."

     He dodges around the question as deftly as he had dodged the blade of the ninja attacker. His unwavering smile never changes.

     "I wonder if this is what having a wife is supposed to be like," he muses thoughtfully.

     Ha ha ha ha! Kojirou-kun, you sure are surprising. Are you taking a fancy to her?

     Kojirou's smile widens.

     Ahhhh...hah hah hah hah. I should've known. The only thing Kojirou-kun loves is his sword.

     "It's true," Kojirou responds to thin air over his cup, "The only thing I ever truly loved was my sword."

Ziggy Grover has posed:
That Ziggy Grover is a skinny, lanky tall fellow who could stand having more meat on his bone is a very approriate assessment.

"Waiiiit--- OOOF!"

Staggering forward with a weight on his back, Ziggy grimaces. "I don't need training..."

"He does," Dr. K chimes in over the communicator.

"I'm -not- carrying a ninja all the way back to..."

"Consider, for a moment, that I have a cannon in the refrigerator, Ranger Green. Then consider what might be under your bed."

"... Hup. How far to the Union?"

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "Indeed. The snow gives the mountain peaks a sense of character I've missed since I was a girl, living in the north back home." Kirika agrees. Taking a moment to look Kojirou in the eye, she's not unwise as to his unreal qualities. It's...oddly familiar. There's a sense of inner viciousness held back only until when the blades are drawn, just like her own sensei...

    "Some never seem to get it beaten out of them, indeed." The kitsune muses, before blinking. Wife? That's a thought that never reached Kirika's mind before, what with her training or going off on adventures in Kasun and beyond... She couldn't possibly imagine what brought that up, but she shrugs a shoulder slightly.

    Swords, finally. "You sound exactly like my teacher. You'd like him, Akai-To is his name. An oni, if you can believe it. I've come to understand they've something of a more mythic reputation depending where you go in the multiverse, really." She smiles lightly, hiding a sense of wonder just what lingers in this man's mind, his very soul even...

    "I haven't had a chance for a straight-up duel with an opponent worth my time in a while now. Either fools like those shinobi we fought, or beasts for the most part. I'd like a chance one day for our paths to meet once more, if only in the interest of measuring our skills against one another..." She looks outside as Rock Lee /rides/ that lanky fellow away, eyebrow arched. "But I see I shall have to queue for that chance, given the boy out there..."

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     "A long time indeed," the swordsman notes peacefully.

     "Ah...not everyone needs to be beaten to learn otherwise. Eventually, everyone finds a path suited to them. Some people simply need more time than others...but the world is a marvelous place because of it." He sets the sake bowl down and stands up. He doesn't clarify where the wife comment came from - likely because it came from nowhere. He was simply verbally sparring. Dodging the question. Testing her. It was the kind of thing he did.

     "An oni," Kojirou observes placidly, with neither surprise nor shock in his voice or on his face, "My. You had quite a teacher...although I understand that tengu are supposed to be better. Then again, I wouldn't know. I'm not an expert in the subject of Masters. The only Master I ever had was a poor one." Ho ho ho.

     "I have no doubt that you're worth my time. But I should like to fight you properly. While I have no doubt I would do fine in this state, you seem to be the sort of woman who deserves my best. But I warn you," his eyes flare to life, suddenly, ripples running through that still pond, "I'm not a man who believes in holding back. I didn't use the fishing pole to show off or give them kindness. I simply didn't believe in painting my precious brush against such crumbled, awful, unworthy paper."

     He tilts his head gently at Kirika. "I'll remember you. Thank you for the sake. But I suspect if I remain here for much longer..." He looks off into the distance. "Something terrible will happen."

     "So...please excuse me. We'll fight another time."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Nodding, Kirika toys with her sake dish lightly. "Akai had himself an uphill battle his whole life to reach the peak of his potential, yet he made it regardless. Even as an oni, he was not quite the massive brute you would expect...but the specifics I feel are a thing suited more to come from his own testimony some day, if you wish." She offers with a smile.

    "I will hold you to that duel, friend. I look forward to it, when the time comes." SHe says with a light bow of her head. His warning doesn't seem to disuade her, if nothing else she knows what she'll be getting into with this.

    "Please, don't let me keep you. You are welcome, I'd gladly share a drink with you any time." Her hand motions, excusing Kojirou as she slides forwards her payment to the innkeeper. Siiiip.