Snow's smile grew as Yang dropped to her knees in front of him and began to immediately plead for his discretion.
"Please Snow!" Yang begged "You know my father will go ballistic and Ruby won't talk to me for a week if they find out!"
Blake and Pyrrha quickly put together from Yang's reaction that this giant before them was the blonde's friend and more importantly was not going to eat them. Both girls breathed a sigh of relief, but then actually registered what Yang was asking for. The thought of their mothers finding out they had consumed a whole bottle of sake had them considering dropping to their knees alongside Yang.
Thankfully, their fears were vanquished when Snow just laughed at his cousin and picked her up with one giant hand. "Yang I could care less if you're drinking, if anything I'm a little insulted you didn't invite me."
The Tensai all visibly relaxed, but Snow's demeanor changed to a serious look as he added "Yeah, but don't try and pull this when Qrow is in the village. Somehow, he WILL find out, and that information will go straight to your Dad."
Yang's eyes widened again having not even thought about her all knowing uncle and she muttered "Thank Kami he's still on that mission."
Snow nodded "He should be back in a day or two, but onto more serious matters." The girls felt Snow's deep blue eyes analyze them closely as he asked "Have you come to a decision about the Chunin Exams?"
Yang locked eyes with both of her teammates and seeing each of them nod to her she turned back to her cousin and confirmed it "We're in."
Snow's smile reappeared "Congrats!" The man cheered "The credibility our village receives now rests solely on your shoulders!"
If it were possible for a person to deflate, the Tensai would all be in desperate need of an air pump. The added gravity of how much was depending on their performance began to really sink into the girls.
"That's.." Pyrrha trailed off being not quite able to find the right word.
Yang was quick to fill in "Terrifying?"
"Incredibly daunting?" Blake suggested.
Pyrrha could only nod "Either or."
"Damn," Snow chuckled and rubbed his head awkwardly "I was going for encouraging." The man turned his gaze back to the girls to continue "No need to worry though, I'm going to make things a bit more manageable."
Getting three confused stares directed at him, Snow continued with a grin "As the student of the Donkage, he wants me to be a teacher as well. Now that you've confirmed that you're participating in the exams, I'll be your instructor for the next two months!"
Blake and Pyrrha both boasted a smile at this, already being able to tell that the man before them had considerable power. While her other two teammates silently showed their approval, Yang was very vocal. Vocal as in shouting "Yes!" jumping up and down wildly. Snow laughed at the little show, but was stopped when Yang suddenly halted her celebration and turned toward her cousin with a worried expression.
"Wait." Yang asked concern evident in her voice "Your affinities are water and wind, how can you help me with progressing my lightning techniques?"
Snow was quick to respond with "Ninjutsu is not the only thing I can offer you three." Yang had a small blush of embarrassment realizing how critical she had been "Although, you're right, I don't know any ninjutsu outside of water and wind." Snow conceded, causing Pyrrha to dawn a small frown.
Yet again the smirk appeared on the man's face "So it's a good thing my partner is proficient in lightning, fire, and earth."
"Partner?" Yang asked, excitement in her voice again.
"That's right." Snow beamed and chuckled "Her name actually makes this whole conversation kinda ironic." The behemoth then drew his gaze to Blake "While I'll be assisting all of you in various ways, you'll be receiving most of your ninjutsu training from me."
Blake nodded with a smile, believing herself to be in capable hands, the faunus than asked in return "When do we begin?"
"Sadly my partner is away on a sensitive matter for the Donkage, she won't be back for at least three days." The man's answer seemed to deflate the girls in front of him, who anxiously want to improve themselves. "So instead of starting without her, I was thinking about taking the three of you on an A Rank mission tomorrow?"
Their grins could have lit up a room.
(The Next Day)
"I feel as if we've been mislead." Blake droned as she dropped a bundle of firewood next to Snow as he stoked the campfire into life..
The blonde laughed at the girl's annoyance "I promised an A Rank mission and I have given you exactly that."
Blake sat down on a log placed close to the fire and sighed "You've also given me a clear lesson in disappointment."
Her resentment seemed to amuse the man even more so "Well there we go, that's one of the most valuable teachings one can learn."
"I see you teach by example." Blake chided with a grinning as she watched the smirk slip off Snow's face as the man almost comically fell into the fire he had gotten roaring.
Blake's ire came from the fact that they had been running at a relatively leisurely pace all morning. Their mission while A Rank simply entailed them to bring some sensitive documents to the border of Kumo territory to pass onto a group of Cloud ninja. Due to Vale and Kumo being neighbors the journey only took them a few hours, so the Tensai and Jonin had arrived just after noon.
Looking around the small campsite surrounded by foliage Blake noticed that Pyrrha and Yang were absent. Normally that would alarm the faunus, but she recalled Snow asking them to go to the nearby creek and collect some water for lunch. Turning her head, Blake could see the young man lying on the ground with his hands behind his head. Staring up at the sky with his trench coat splayed around him almost gave the jonin a rather introspective look.
"Snow," Blake called, bringing the man out of his trance as he looked to her "what exactly are you going to be teaching me?"
The man sat up and grinned at the girl as he began "Well from your file I've read that out of your graduating class, you're the best at kenjutsu and ninjutsu. So I assume you're most comfortable in those areas?" Seeing Blake nod he continued "Than we'll put a lot of focus into getting an even deeper hold there. I've got a few jutsu in mind that I'm sure you'll love."
Blake showed her reaction by the smile on her face then it faltered slightly when she more closely observed Snow's person "You don't wear a blade." The faunus observed "Or even a weapons pouch."
"I've never had the need to carry blades when I can create something superior with my abilities." Snow answered.
"No explosive notes either?" Blake inquired, feeling even more curious about her new sensei.
Snow shook his head again "While I can do a lot of offensive damage, my role has been more of a sentinel type." Seeing Blake trying to understand his term, Snow clarified "I let enemies focus their attacks on me, while the other members of my team move in to take advantage and retaliate."
Blake scanned the man once more "How are you not covered in scars?"
"In Anbu we get the best medical treatment. Plus I can take a lot of punishment." The second addition had a cocky smile to accompany it.
The faunus rolled her eyes and was about to retort when the cocky attitude left Snow while a watchful one took it's place as he scanned the area around them. Before Blake could comment he filled her in "A group of five is approaching us at a fast pace."
"The Kumo group?" Blake asked feeling as if she already knew the answer.
Snow didn't nod his head in the affirmative or negative, but answered instead "Kumo was clear they were only sending three to meet us." A moment later his brow furrowed and for the first time Blake saw anger cross his face "Two of them are breaking off to Yang and Pyrrha's location, while the other three continue towards us. They must have a sensor with them."
Trusting in her superiors warning Blake readied herself to face the possibly hostile incoming force. The faunus didn't have to face the true terror of waiting for battle to begin as only a few moments passed when three men burst forth from the trees.
Looking at the trio before them Blake didn't let it show, but was instantly concerned. Their headbands did not indicate them as Kumo shinobi, but ninja of Kusagakure. Judging from the vests that adorned them, two of the men were jonin and the other a chunin. Being face to face with three higher ranked shinobi daunted the girl, and the menacing grin the chunin was sending her way didn't help.
The idea of fleeing weighed heavily on her mind, to the point where Blake was turning her head to try and locate an escape route. The thick trees around the plain they were in would slow her down considerably, and they probably already had a speed advantage over her. Racking her mind to think of a way to make this situation go away, Blake paused when her searching eyes landed on Snow. Standing taller than she had ever seen him before, the man's blue eyes seemed to pierce the Grass shinobi in front of them. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Blake allowed herself to take in some of the confidence that was practically surrounding Snow.
Now prepared Blake more closely examined the still silent foreign shinobi. The jonin in the middle was clearly the oldest of the three, the white in his hair already short black hair was beginning to take over and the wrinkles surrounding his mouth were prominent even when it was at ease. The faunus couldn't observe much of the other jonin besides his bald head and the wooden staff strapped to his back. The jonin seemed to pay her little mind as they returned the stare Snow was sending them.
What really caught Blake's attention was the chunin staring directly at her, making no attempt to hide the sadistic glint in his eyes. The man only appeared a few years older than the faunus and his frame was much larger than the girls, his exposed arms showing toned muscle with no hint of fat. However, like Blake the man had a blade at his side. The two blades could not be more different. Blake's, Gambol Shroud, was a long thin katana designed to strike fast and precise. The Grass ninja's blade appeared to be a broadsword, a weapon very uncommon in the shinobi world. With the man's large upper body, Blake could see that he could be very efficient with the wide blade.
"You three are a long way from home." Snow addressed the Kusa nin, his hands curled at his sides.
The older jonin spoke for his group as he stepped forward "Vale shinobi were not supposed to be here, your presence is complicating matters."
The thinly veiled threatening tone in his voice set Blake even more at edge, which is why she almost fell over when a thin smile found it's way on Snow's face.
"Oh, how I love to be difficult." The Donkage's apprentice responded, drawing a glare from the Kusa chunin and an annoyed frown from their leader.
"I will say this once." The jonin warned "Leave now or face the consequences."
"Afraid I can't do that." Was Snow's immediate answer "I'm not exactly sure why you're here, but I have a fairly good idea. Now if that idea turns out to be true, well I'm afraid that interferes with why we are here."
The jonin's annoyed expression turned into a hostile one "In that case I hope you've enjoyed your time in Cloud country, you will not be leaving it."
"That's right think positive." Snow goaded his enemies. The man was confident he could deal with his enemies, but taking a quick glance at Blake reminded himself he was not alone. The three genin in his charge were certainly capable, but if Yang and Pyrrha run into resistance higher than chunin level, Snow wasn't certain if they would be able to finish this mission unscathed.
Making a big show of slowly pulling something out of his trench coat pocket, Snow had all eyes trained on him. The Kusa nin made no move to attack but were on edge to the point of gripping their weapons, even Blake was tensed as one of her eyes watched Snow's hand creep out of it's hiding place. No one breathed as the top of his hand itched out, only to reveal that he was holding…. a canteen.
Blake shrunk a little as she had been hoping it was a paper bomb of some sort. The enemy shinobi appeared to be disappointed as well, but disregarded it as the enemy chunin turned to their leader "As much as I would love to slice the giant in two, I can barely remember the last time I've had the joy of being able to cut down an animal."
There was no need to explain to Snow and Blake who he was referring to as it was clear by their scowls. The apparent racism had no effect on the Kusa jonin as he turned his head towards his junior "You can have your fun Heizo, I'll deal with the large one myself."
The chunin gazed at Blake once more with a sadistic grin, while the bald man who had been quiet until this point spoke up "I don't believe that would be wise Kanbe."
The other two Kusa shinobi's heads whipped towards their comrade, as if surprised to hear him speak. Before either could question him Snow's hand whipped forward sending the water in his canteen flying at the trio. Before anyone could react the liquid converged together midair and hardened into a thin icicle with a deadly point. Moving at an even faster rate the spear of ice stabbed into Kanbe's shoulder and had little trouble emerging through the other side.
Kanbe cried in pain as he grasped his bleeding shoulder with his now one good arm. The other quiet jonin's eyes widened considerably and the chunin openly gawked.
"I thought we should speed things up a little." Snow called over with a shrug, however that ended when he was forced into action when the bald jonin shunshined in front of him with his staff coming down. Blake having not even been able to track his movements nearly gasped when she heard a smack just to see Snow's right arm raised to intercept the strike.
"Maybe I should've aimed for you." Snow mumbled as his left arm blurred with a swift punch to the man's jaw. The impact sent the bald jonin soaring dozens of feet away into the trees. Turning to smirk at the now sweating Kanbe, Snow taunted "You should probably check on him."
Shaking from anger and adrenaline, Kanbe ordered his junior without looking at him "Heizo detain these two while I recover Yoson."
The chunin took his eyes off the enemy and stared unbelieving at his superior. However, before Heizo could voice his complaint, Kanbe sprinted off into the direction Yoson had been knocked. Now with only three of them in the clearing, Snow turned toward the trembling and opened his arms as an invitation.
Seeing that the chunin made no move forward, in fact the young man actually took a few steps back, Snow smiled "Yeah, I wouldn't either." The man then turned his gaze to Blake "I'm going to make sure those two don't return, I'll leave you to deal with this filth."
Snow smiled as the faunus nodded, with a wave he left the clearing. Turning to gaze at each other once more, their roles could not have been more switched. At the beginning of this confrontation Blake had been the one about to break down in fear, however after seeing the power and confidence Snow expressed the faunus had no qualms about fighting. Upon first meeting him, Blake knew the man was powerful, but she had thought that about every jonin she's met. Yang had spoken several times of his capabilities and made him sound like a legend, but knowing the blonde, Blake assumed she embellished quite a bit. The faunus almost chided herself for not taking into account that the man was now the sole owner of a deadly bloodline.
Now that the faunus was standing tall, her once cocky opponent was the one about to fold over. Having been a witness firsthand at how much Snow's goading affected enemies, Blake decided to give it a shot herself.
"I think it's quite obvious who's coming out victorious of that skirmish." The faunus made sure her voice was dripping with smugness.
Blake got the reaction she intended when the older boy's brow furrowed and hands shook "Sh- shut up trash! Kanbe and Yoson are experienced veterans!"
The girl rolled her eyes, making it as obvious as possible to continue making the boy bristle "Oh yes, and your leader seemed oh so confident."
"He was hit by a cheap shot!" Her enemy vehemently yelled back.
Blake fought the urge to remind him that using "cheap shots" was the way of the shinobi. Instead Blake decided to move things forward by addressing his weapon "Interesting choice of blade, although I can see why you use it, it must be able to slice a person's head clean off with a good swing."
The young man's barely withheld rage changed to confusion as he tried to comprehend Blake's analysis that seemed like a compliment. Inwardly smiling Blake decided to finally begin "It does make me wonder, are you capable of a quick draw with such a weapon?"
The faunus couldn't help that the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, as she saw realization dawn on him while he fumbled for the hilt of his sword. Just as his hands clumsily moved, Blake began the painstakingly practiced art of drawing her katana in swift succession. Blake's hands darted down, began to pull the blade from the sheath, and burst forward at a high speed to her fumbling opponent.
To the chunin's credit he was able to direct some of the blow with his partially drawn broadsword, however it only protected his hip and not his right shoulder. Blake's upward diagonal slash cut into the man's muscle and made a clean slice.
As Heizo yelled in pain the faunus was now a few yards behind him with her red stained sword. Turning around to match his glare Blake tightened her grip, as he rushed her with a battle cry.
(A Few Moments Earlier)
Yang dropped her canteen as she looked at the thick crop of trees she and Pyrrha had emerged from. The redhead noticed the container fall beside her as she filled her own from the lazily flowing stream.
Looking up to see the intense look on the blonde's face, Pyrrha asked "What is it?"
"A group of three have just encountered Blake and Snow." Yang answered without looking away. Believing them to be the Cloud shinobi, Pyrrha rose to insist they rejoin their comrades, but Yang continued "There's another pair coming our way fast."
Without another word both kunoichi unsheathed their weapons, wanting to be at full fighting capacity immediately. Positioning her spear into a comfortable stance, Pyrrha noticed Yang's face also had a look of worry in it. Feeling it herself, Pyrrha voiced "Snow won't let anything happen to her."
Yang nodded at her words, but the look didn't disappear, and neither did Pyrrha's feelings on the subject.
"Prepare yourself, any moment now." Yang's warning gave Pyrrha the time to implement a tactic their team has practiced the last week or so.
The blonde didn't have to question whether or not the approaching duo were enemies, as soon as they erupted from the tree tops Yang was forced to dodge a volley of shuriken. Yang barely had time to register their Grass headbands due to them immediately moving to either side of her. The flak vests marked both men as chunin, however Yang would have guessed that with just how fast they were able to unleash punches and kicks.
Yang was grateful that neither man were using kunai with their strikes, several punches had broken past her guard and she would have likely folded if Pyrrha hadn't jumped in at that moment. Well, popped in is more appropriate, as the redhead erupted from the ground with her spear spinning around.
Before the Grass nin could acknowledge her presence, Pyrrha dug her spear into the side of one man. Seeing his ally fall to his knees, the other chunin sent a powerful kick into Pyrrha's chest, sending her reeling back.
Seeing a chance to eliminate one of their assailants, Yang began forming hand seals "Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!" The kneeling man was forced onto his back by the exploding ball of energy.
The now lone chunin turned back to see his ally lying still on the ground and shouted "No!" Wasting no time, he burned through his own hand seals and slammed his palms to the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
If Yang hadn't jumped back she would have been skewered from the giant spear of earth that shot out of the ground. Not letting that faze her, the blonde ran back to meet the enraged chunin with her shock gloves activated. The man was thrown on the defensive for the first time and nearly met the same end of his partner when Pyrrha rejoined the fight.
Finding himself surrounded on both sides the man made a chakra boosted jump into the air and threw a kunai down behind him. Seeing the explosive tag on the kunai Pyrrha kicked Yang away and jumped into the ground just as the explosion went off. Forced to raise her arms to shield herself, Yang didn't see the chunin rush towards her.
Yang couldn't help yelling as he planted his fist into her stomach, the blonde growled at the sick grin on his face. The growl was all the kunoichi could offer in retaliation when the man followed up with an uppercut and a kick to the girl's chest. Being sent flying away the blonde groaned as she felt her back slam against a tree, that didn't stop her from glaring at the man who stood from where he kicked her staring with some smug blonde smiled when she saw the ground behind him begin to shift, but that disappeared when he suddenly spun around on one foot with a kunai in hand.
"Not again bitch!" He exclaimed as his blade tore through Pyrrha's side, which led to the redhead to disappear in a cloud of smoke. The man clearly expected the redhead to have used a kawarami, which is why he tensed as the smoke cleared and no substituted object was in her place. While the man still tried to contemplate just what his adversary had done, he didn't notice the second hole form.
The real Pyrrha let her upper body emerge from the soil and instead of her spear was handling her own kunai. Smirking she decided to respond with a whisper "Clones asshole." Just as she finished uttering the curse, Pyrrha brought the knife into the back of the man's knee. The man's bravado fell as the scream left his throat, although to his credit he immediately turned on his now only good leg. The chunin tried to stab down at the girl, but Pyrrha blocked his blade with her own and forced him to collapse by smacking the front of his bleeding knee.
Now on his knees the man looked Pyrrha in the eye and was going to attempt another stab, however he found himself clutching his throat when Pyrrha sent a swift jab to his windpipe. Knowing her teammate may want a bit of revenge, the redhead freed herself from the ground and walked around the man who was too busy gasping for air to make any attempt at stopping her. Taking her spear out once more, Pyrrha tore the man's hands away from his throat and trapped his arms behind his back with her weapon.
Lifting him from the ground the man had to bounce on his one good leg, as Yang strode towards the pair. Holding her bruised stomach, the brawler let no emotion cover her face as she nodded to the redhead constricting their enemy. Without a word Yang activated her gauntlets and sent two deep punches to the man's ribs and much like he had earlier done to her, gave the man a wicked uppercut. The difference was that Yang's strike broke the man's neck, leaving Pyrrha to be holding his limp frame.
Removing her spear, the redhead allowed the body to fall to the ground and looked to her blonde ally. Yang opened her mouth to recommend they return to the rest of their group, but another voice filled the air "I'm asleep for two minutes."
The Tensai turned to see that the earlier chunin they thought to have been dead was still breathing, but doing so with difficulty. Despite his smoldering chest the man was standing and removing his all but ruined flak vest, dropping it to show the top beneath it had been fused to his skin in several areas. Either the adrenaline covered his pain or he was fantastic at hiding it, for the man did nothing more than grimace as he moved his arms.
Not seeing this battle as amounting to much of anything, Pyrrha offered "You don't have to follow the same fate as your friend."
"Trust me I plan on doing everything in my power to make that not happen." The man's reply was simple, and the girls had to respect the brave face he made in his circumstance.
"Don't dismiss me yet." Was all the man would give as he formed hand seals at a surprising rate for his injury. Both girls moved into their stances as his hands moved, but neither were forced to dodge as the ground around him simply began to stir. Before either could confer with one another, the ground stopped stirring and began forming. Clumping together the combination of rocks, soils, and dirt rose to form four distinct humanoid shapes. Shapes that quickly took on the exact form of the injured man in front of them. There was a difference in that while these earth clones had the same injuries as their creator, the sustained wounds seemed to have no effect on them.
The group of clones split up without their creator having to inform them of the plan, three immediately rushed Yang while the other ran after Pyrrha. The blonde activated her shock gloves and immediately jabbed at the first clone in front of her, what surprised her is that it made no attempt to dodge or even block the strike. Yang quickly understood why when her fist went clear through the chest of one of the dopplegangers. When her arm came out the other side the body collapsed on top of her and redispersed into rocks, forcing the blonde to topple onto the ground with the other two clones moving in.
Pyrrha cursed as she saw Yang fall, prompting the redhead to try and deal with her enemy quickly so she may help her teammate. Pyrrha thrust her spear into the approaching clone, and much like Yang's fist it went clear through the body. However, the body didn't disperse, some soil flowed from the wound, but the clone held the spear in it's chest. Pyrrha was unable to rip her weapon free and was forced to abandon it when the original chunin began throwing kunai at her.
The redhead jumped back and was about to make a dash for the creator when she noticed a bright light emerge from underneath the rock pile on top of Yang. The light seemed to pulsate erratically, and Pyrrha saw Yang shootout from the pile of rocks. The blonde's arm was surrounded by lightning and the redhead heard her yell "Lightning Release: Lightning Rod!"
Just as the two other earth clones we're closing in, the area around Yang's arm seemed to explode in a yellow light. Even from her spot Pyrrha could feel the energy in the air, and was blinded by the intense glow. Once the light had subsided enough for Pyrrha to lower her arms, she looked up to see Yang standing tall with rubble at her feet. The blonde was surrounded by electricity much like her gloves are upon activation, but now the blonde's whole body was layered in a shield of pulsating energy. The signature blonde mane seemed to float behind the girl, who was looking down at herself with a grin.
"I wasn't expecting to pull off this technique so soon, but I'm certainly not complaining." Yang's smile sent reassurance through Pyrrha and terror through their enemy. With a stream of light following her form, Yang sprinted to the clone Pyrrha had been combatting. Yang grabbed the hilt of Pyrrha's spear and pulled the earth clone into her other closed fist. The electricity made the clone explode into it's base material.
Freeing the spear, Yang looked to see the man making the same seals he had just used, and put a stop to that with a proper throw. Both Tensai watched the spear arc through the air and meet its destination in the man's chest.
Pyrrha watched in amazement as Yang closed her eyes in concentration, a moment later the wild energy faded and the blonde's hair gently fell. Seeing her teammate unable to form words, Yang explained "I've been working on expanding my lightning glove technique to my whole body."
"That must be incredibly draining." Pyrrha inferred seeing that while Yang had a wide smile, the blonde's eyes were drooping from exhaustion.
"Yeah, way more than my gloves." Yang admitted.
Pyrrha moved to free Milo from the hole in the now dead chunin's chest "Couldn't have appeared at a better time."
Yang nodded in agreeance as the two began to return to the forest "Don't tell Blake, but I think those chakra control exercises she's been torturing me with is what did it."
(A Few Moments Earlier)
Blake inwardly swore as her arms shook from deflecting another blow from Heizo's broadsword with her own katana. The faunus had been able to slow the man considerably with her early blow, but she hadn't anticipated just how familiar he would be combatting katana wielders. The chunin had probably trained extensively with katana users, giving him a distinct advantage. Blake on the other hand, had little to no experience with this type of blade, this was only the second time she has even seen one.
Once more the faunus jumped back and shot through handsigns "Wind Release: Air Bullet!" The compressed ball of air left Blake's mouth and rushed the young man, only for it to be stopped when he flashed his own hand signs. A large earthen wall shot up just in time to defend the Kusa ninja, but the barrier did give Blake another precious moment to assess the situation.
Looking about the field, Blake saw the several battered earthen walls that had been raised due to the earlier trade of jutsu having happened many times during this skirmish. Blake could feel the slight drain on her reserves and knew her enemy must be as well, but doubted that her stamina could outlast his. Rubbing her sore arms that could barely withstand the incredible strength behind his sword strikes, Blake's mind searched for a new tactic.
The faunus knew her blade was longer than her opponents, but any range advantage that may have brought was diminished due to his much longer arms. Sending a volley of clones at him may work if one was able to deal a crippling blow, but whether it succeeded or failed Blake would be left with nearly empty chakra reserves. The only viable option the Tensai could think of was the technique she had been gifted with a few weeks prior, the faunus had practiced a good deal in it, but it was far from being perfected. Blake was confident she could pull it off, but would need time to prepare it.
Seeing her opponent walk around his earth structure, Blake summoned three shadow clones. The faunus smiled, always loving the surprise in a person's eye when they witnessed that technique, but she didn't let that distract her as she dropped to one knee with Gambol Shroud before her.
Blake tried to tune out her surroundings, the sounds of battle becoming a dull roar in the background, but the faunus tensed every time one of her clone's disperse leaving the girl trying to ignore the memories of their last moments. Each surge of information spurred Blake to increase the pace of this painstakingly slow process, but she couldn't afford to rush and make a mistake.
Blake's body tensed as she felt the memories of her last clone rush into her head, Heizo was finished with her duplicates and rushing towards her prone position. The crunching of the grass beneath his heavy feet made Blake panic even more so, internally begging for her hands to complete their work. Judging from his scream the chunin must have been feet away from her when the process was complete, thanks to her enhanced senses Blake was able to roll out of the way just in time.
Tumbling to her side, Blake looked to see Heizo striking the ground where she just kneeled with a downward vertical slice. Before the man could withdraw Blake sliced her katana forward across his lower leg. The faunus hoped that the smile she grew at his cry, wasn't the sign of a sadist.
Heizo on the other hand was in shock as he jumped away from the girl's position, allowing her to rise fully. The strike was surprising yes, but it was unlike the earlier cuts he had received from the girl. No wound from a sword is pleasant, but this most recent one had a shocking sting that the man could still feel travel through his body. When Heizo noticed the faint glimmer surrounding the girl's katana, he thought himself to be seeing things. Shaking his head the man oriented himself and saw the mysterious glow was still present.
Blake smiled at his confusion and capitalized on the moments by sprinting forward. Even in his bewildered state, Heizo still ran to meet her and made to make the first strike. The chunin grew back his confidence when he saw Blake move to intercept his blade with her smaller one, believing the attempt would yield poor results for the girl as it had been the whole fight. However, he couldn't be more shocked when his blade stopped with no great amount of effort on the girl's part. In fact, his broadsword seemed to stop before it even met the katana.
The Tensai ripped her blade upwards and while the metal didn't meet skin, a sharp cut travelled up the man's cheek. Crying out from pain, Heizo's guard lowered and Blake made a brutal diagonal slice across the man's chest. The chunin flak jacket offered no protection as the glowing blade tore through it as if it were just paper. Heizo's chest exploded in agony, and he wasn't even aware that his sword fell from his grasp. Blake delivered a swift kick to the man's torso and sent him stumbling back clutching his chest in pain.
"How?" Heizo gasped as he struggled to remain standing.
Blake smirked and gave him a better view of her blade "We animals have a few tricks."
The chunin felt his eyes drooping, but fought the temptation to look closely at the glimmer around the blade. It wasn't just a glimmer, it was some force that made a perfect outline of the katana only this added layer was larger in length and width than the original.
The man's eyes widened in realization as he croaked out "Wind chakra."
Blake nodded her head with a smile "Correct, now let me show you what you've won." At this point every movement was a blur for the chunin, leaving him to barely notice Blake's actions until a kunai rested firmly in his throat.
The faunus sighed in relief as the Grass shinobi fell to the forest floor, deactivating the wind attachment to her blade Blake felt the loss of chakra hit her. Allowing herself to lower onto one knee, Blake gifted herself a moment's reprieve, but the sound of clapping had her back on her feet in an instant.
The sight that awaited her made the girl feel like a fool. In front of the faunus was a group of three looking to be about her own age. There was a dark skinned boy with a lolipop sitting lazily in his mouth, a dark skinned girl with vibrant red hair, and a stoic looking blonde girl with a chest that rivaled the prominent blonde in Blake's life. All three proudly wore a Kumo headband.
Blake relaxed and lowered her sword "You're late."
"Actually you're early." The voluptous blonde girl seemed to be the one in charge to speak for the Cloud shinobi.
The faunus was far too exhausted to put up a real argument, so she just settled with a dismissal wave "Semantics."
The blonde's stoic facade broke into a small smile, much to the surprise of both her comrades. "Your leader is fine he's just finished his opponents, he actually seemed to be quite enjoying himself when we came across him."
"That's good to hear." Blake responded "Any word about my teammates?"
While the blonde's mouth opened the boy answered before she could speak "Yeah, your giant said he could sense that they're okay."
Relief cascaded through Blake as she nodded at the information "Thank you for checking on me, I assume Snow was able to give you the documents.
The faunus was met with an answer when the blonde patted at a pouch on her waist. "Seeing as you are okay and your leader clearly doesn't need any help, we'll be on our way. Thank you for dealing with shinobi trespassing in our country." Blake nodded and smiled back at the trio, watching as the boy and redhead disappeared into the forest, but the blonde turned back to add "Cute ears by the way."
Not expecting that at all, Blake's blush was a beacon that made the blonde's smile grow even greater.
(Hidden In a Nearby Thicket)
Pyrrha watched her teammate cautiously, wondering if their plan of waiting to see if the Kumo nin were threats was the right idea. To Pyrrha's horror Yang just had a blank look on her face as she stared at the retreating blonde and the blushing Blake.
"Cute ears?" Yang asked aloud, terrifying Pyrrha to the point to where the redhead reached out to grasp Yang's shoulder. Just before Pyrrha made contact, Yang erupted.
"How dare she!" The blonde screamed more than questioned about to give chase, forcing Pyrrha to jump on top of her in an attempt to restrain her "I'll murder her!"
"They're our comrades Yang!" Pyrrha tried to scream sense into the blonde, as she valiantly tried to keep her grip on the raging beast.
"I don't give a damn!" Yang yelled back "She must pay for her insolence!"
Blake was quite aware of the screaming, but didn't want to face it as she just looked down toward the ground and blushed even brighter.
Haha! I've been thinking of that ending for a while and am so happy to finally get it out. Just as a quick side note I've registered as a Beta reader, so if anyone is in need I can help. Alright time for another question! I imagine if you're a fan of RWBY than you're a fan of anime in general, so I'm curious as to what was the first anime you ever watched? For me it was either Inuyasha or Dragon Ball Z. I remember being a kid, and staying up until two in the morning to watch either of them on Adult Swim. Speaking of Adult Swim, check out Rick and Morty it's freaking amazing. On that note, I'll leave you.
Until next time.
