Gavin

[SIZE="1"]The title says it all. [CENTER][YOUTUBE="Idiocracy - Ow! My balls!"]ENfY2i9I_d0[/YOUTUBE][/CENTER] Hard to believe it's been nearly a year since this was made. [CENTER][YOUTUBE="OB Terrorist Song"]Or3TrUDkBdE[/YOUTUBE][/CENTER] @ Aceburner, nice caption.[/SIZE]

[quote name='chibi-master']Anyway, I'd rather see Hinata fight.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Why ? Not in an offensive way or anything chibi, but seriously, why do you want to see Hinata fight ? The only fight she actually managed to do anything impressive in at all was part of the filler episodes. I'm actually just curious.[/SIZE]

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=Black][SIZE="4"][CENTER][B]SHINOBI BATTLE CONFEDERATION[/B][/SIZE] [SIZE="2"][I]Fight with Honour, Fight with Courage, Fight with Heart.[/I][/SIZE][/CENTER] [LEFT][SIZE="1"]In the old stories, they talk about the shinobi and the Hidden Villages. I don't really know how old the stories are, they've been passed down for so long, through so many generations at this point that a lot of the stuff is dismissed as myths or legends, at least, for the most part... The part everyone agrees on, the part which has never changed through it's countless reiterations, is that because of the Hidden Villages our world was nearly destroyed. You can still see the damage if you look hard enough, remnants of old towns and cities, ruins swallowed up by time and nature, as if the planet just wanted to forget they ever existed in the first place. Maybe it?s better this way. Some knowledge, some bloodlines are just too dangerous to be allowed to continue, at least, that?s what we?ve come to accept. How many people died in the conflict ? Nobody knows for sure, estimates vary wildly from thousands to tens of millions and there?s not a whole lot of evidence to prove either side right. It?s sad I think, that so many people could have died and we don?t even know for sure if they existed at all or not Ordinary people never knew what was happening they say, who they are, I don?t really know either, it?s just what people say. They say that the shinobi had become so enamoured by their own power that they stopped thinking in terms of right and wrong, and that some terrible, evil people came about because of it. Some names not even history can wash away completely, they live on in our memories, and the nightmares of children to this day. Pein... How true that last part is depends very much on who you ask. Plenty of people will say that all the shinobi were out for themselves, that even if it was another shinobi who defeated Pein in the end, it wasn?t because he was a good guy or anything, but because Pein was just in his way. But for every one of those people, someone else will more than willingly tell you the opposite, that the man who finally stopped Pein did it for everybody?s sake, not just for himself or his village, but because he was a hero, and because it was the right thing to do. I have to admit, I like the latter explanation myself. I think it makes more sense. People tend to forget with these stories that the shinobi were just like us too, just normal people, well, as normal as folk who can do that kinds of things the shinobi could do can be. What I mean is that, by thinking of them as all the same, you?re pretending they weren?t real people, that they each didn?t have their own reasons for fighting, their own ways, or wills, and I don?t believe that can be true for even a moment. But I guess maybe my view on the matter is coloured a bit. After the war, and really, we call it a war because the level of damage makes us assume it was a war, we really don?t know for sure what Pein did, or how the hero stopped him. Anyway, after it, the people who were left decided that concepts like ?Great Nations? or ?Hidden Villages? were too dangerous to keep around. Maps were redrawn, borders abolished, as much out of necessity as nobility. People needed to trade with each other to survive, water, food, clothes, everyone had something everyone else needed, so you couldn?t try to shut yourself in. Progress back was slow. Judging from the ruins, it?s been hundreds of years maybe, again nobody has facts or dates to be sure. Towns and cities are back, roads and railways, radio and TV. I guess it has to be similar to what things were like back then, maybe a bit different because cultures aren?t so separate and defined. Most people go about their daily life without thinking about history, there?s no point, we can?t change the past, but we can try to make sure it doesn?t happen again in the future. This may come as a shock to you, but even the shinobi are back. Well, they never really left I guess, some of them survived the war, and they just tried to fight back into society. Not too many people were keen to have shinobi around then, they were considered a bad omen, so they took to wandering mostly. A few became bandits and starting causing trouble, then people offered money to other wandering shinobi to get rid of them like they used to. As I said though, people weren?t eager to have shinobi around, often they did the job, took their money and left. They say somewhere along the line, some businessman was in a tea-house somewhere when some shinobi started fighting. Again, yeah, there?s a lot of vagueness there, because there?s a hundred different stories. So, this businessman see the shinobi fighting, and something clicks in his mind, he?s terrified by what he sees, but he?s also pretty excited at the same time. Afterwards he approached the survivors and offered to employ them. Obviously they assumed he wanted bodyguards and they start naming their terms, but then he tells them his idea, he wants to turn the shinobi into professional fighters. Men and women who?ll fight for their own glory, and their own income more importantly in matches against other shinobi for the entertainment of people. Now, maybe he was lucky, because I imagine saying something like that might have caused a particularly honour sensitive shinobi to take offence to the idea of his way of life being transformed into a form of entertainment, or maybe it was because not scraping by for a living appealed to the remaining shinobi. Whatever the truth of the matter was, before anyone realised it, the Shinobi Battle Confederation had been established and was drawing crowds in by the hundreds in the towns and cities where they held matches. Things were a little rougher and a whole lot tougher then, you didn?t have the different divisions because there weren?t enough people, sponsors were rare and reserved for only the best, which further polarised battles to one side, and a lot of matches ended with someone getting killed, either by accident, or because one of the competitors took things too far. To remedy things, and really, to keep the fledgling SBC from imploding under it?s own weight, the SBC board decided to introduce the current regulations and divisions. But more than that, they offered a lot of money to their most skilled members to train kids at special schools the SBC had set up across the world. I guess they?re sort of the spiritual successors to the old academies of the Hidden Villages, though because they?re all run by the SBC, I guess the academies are more friendly with one another, although there are still some rivalries. The SBC has been running about a century at this point, although not a lot has changed between now and then. Successful graduates still go on and enter the league, either joining teams or competing individually in the different divisions. There?s a lot more sponsors now, and businesses specialising in supplying to competitors is common, although the elite still have the pick of the best. I guess this is where I come in, my name?s Tetsuhiko and it?s my first year in the SBC league. Heh, I know, I?ll bet you?re trying to work out how biased the history lesson I just gave you actually is, but truthfully, I tried to be as honest as possible. I?m in Division-C, which is pretty good for an Academy graduate in their first year, though, there are of course people who?ve graduated higher than me, but plenty of people who started out in the D too. I?m not part of a team yet, mainly because teams are either formed back in the academies from groups of friends, or you get an invite once you?ve impressed a team who?re looking for members enough. For someone green like me, that?s a while away yet. My goals ? Make enough money to live comfortably, maybe earn myself a decent reputation at the same time. Find a decent woman to settle down with afterwards, raise a bunch of kids and die a happy old man. Anyway, I?ve got to go, I?ve got a few interviews for sponsorship deals that look promising. Thanks for listening so patiently, I hope I?ve been a help to you. ||||| Well now, welcome to my latest RPG. As you might have guessed, this is a Naruto RPG, although you only need a really basic understanding of the series to take part, actually, I suppose, this has more in common with Zoids: New Century Zero than it does with Naruto, at least plot wise. As you might imagine, in this, you?re going to be playing a member of the SBC like Tetsuhiko, though whether or not you're a new competitor like him, or an older more veteran one is up to you, though I will be deciding on the actual divisions people are placed in, because otherwise we're just going to end up with a bunch of S-Ranked players, which would be a little dull. I suppose before I go any further, I'll need to give more info on a few things. Some might be unnecessary for the majority of the RPG. [u][b]The World[/b][/u] At the moment, the world is pretty similar to the world of Naruto, with the exception of course that the Hidden Villages are all gone, and the old nations don't exist any more. Population wise, there's about forty or fifty million people, about three-quarters of which are urbanised in the planet's major five major cities and twelve towns. The other twelve million are spread out between them in the countryside in small villages and farms. Government is democratic, at least in intention. To be able to get into politics you need to be fairly well off and have connections, so it's not as if anyone can just walk in with good intentions and get elected. Elections take place every four years for the two hundred seats of the Ministry, which then among themselves elect the Prime Minister by a majority vote, who then choose his Ministers to run the different national departments. The current Prime Minister is Iwamatsu Makoto, a big fan of the SBC and a popular ruler among the people. Currency, the Zen, although it's got a few nicknames too is made up on notes and coins of a roughly similar denomination to actual major currencies, like the Euro or the Dollar. Zen comes in note denominations of 5 to 500, with coins making up the smaller values. In appearance, Zen notes are a pale gold with the value marked at the corners while Zen coins are silver with the value marked in the centre. However, due to the inordinate amount of money that passes between the major corporations, various credit and electronic systems are also very commonplace. [U][B]Sponsors[/B][/U] These guys are really important, as much the lifeblood of the SBC League as the Shinobi themselves, as they keep the guys in the extra income they need to try and get an edge over their competition with better swords, armours, jutsu, training whatever. Without the sponsors, a lot of people wouldn't be able to keep competing, because SBC pay isn't what you'd call excessive. The sponsors themselves can take a lot of shapes, but usually they have some tie to the SBC that makes the cost of sponsoring their fighter worth it. Major corporations make it their business to sponsor the best, or to find the up-and-coming and get them before their competitors can do the same. Smaller businesses usually sponsor people from their own area, as they can't really match the spending power of the bigger companies. This is by far the most common way of getting sponsorship though. Of course, you don't have to have a sponsor, if you're wealthy enough, you can forgo the whole thing and just spend your own money to do it. But not a lot of people can afford to do that in the upper divisions where the price of a good blade really does make a difference. One of the most enforced rules of sponsorship in the SBC however is that no corporation may sponsor any more than one person or team per division, to prevent any chance of sponsors unduly influencing League matches. [u][b]The Corporations[/u][/b] Spoken a bit about these guys under sponsors, but they have a lot of importance in pretty much every aspect of the world. Most people in the cities and towns are employed by the various companies, or if they?re not, then they have some kind of a business relationship with them. Larger corporations, made up of several sub-divided companies have come to wield significant political power due to their economic clout, case in point, Iwamatsu-san was a previous director of the board of Nakatomi Bank before entering politics. The darker side ? Rumours persist that in exchange for sponsorship in the SBC League, many shinobi have conducted missions for their sponsor company against rivals. Although this has never been proven, many people would be quick to point out that the very essence of a shinobi is not to get caught while performing such espionage. The following companies have the biggest influence in the SBC, either through sponsorship, or as major suppliers to the shinobi themselves: [list][*][size=1][font=verdana][b]Tensho Corporation[/b] - Specialises in manufacturing weapons for the SBC. Holds a neutral stance within the League, sponsoring nobody. It?s master smiths are known to be able to produce blades which have proven almost unbreakable, the only known breakage occurring in an Division-S final between two of their best swords. It?s range and prices run throughout the length of divisions, although obviously it?s highest quality products are found in the higher divisions.[/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana][b]Koukawa Breweries[/b] - One of the best known sponsors of the SBC, it is the current sponsor of SBC Division-S champion Ishikawa Hideki, as well as sponsoring several other highly ranked contenders in the other divisions. It?s drinks, particularly it?s sake range, is a world-wide favourite, though the company itself is diversified into many different business sectors. [/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana][b]Suzuki Communications[/b] - Specialising in broadcasting, communications and media, as well as postal and delivery services, Suzuki is responsible for televising the SBC's matches, as well as interviewing it's more famous competitors through it's various means. A highly successful company, Suzuki sponsors no less than nine different League teams and individuals, though it has yet to take the prized spot of S-Rank Champion away from it's rivals.[/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana][B]Ichiraku Enterprises[/b] - Ichiraku is something of a treasure to the SBC, because of Ichiraku's proven link to the Hidden Village of Konoha with it's ancestor ramen restaurant. These days, Ichiraku is one of the major players in the medical and humanitarian sector, owning several city hospitals, dozens of medical centres, research sub-divisions and involved heavily in reclamation and rejuvenation projects around the world. Current Ichiraku sponsors the current A-Division Team and Individual champions, as well as providing cheap medical services to all SBC competitors.[/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana][b]Yamashita Industries[/b] - Nicknamed the Iron Giant for it's foundation in heavy mining, which is still the company's biggest source of income. Yamashita has a symbiotic relationship with Tensho in that it supplies the latter with it's highest quality refined ore in return for lowered priced Tensho products which it then supplies to it's sponsored shinobi. This has allowed Yamashita to advance it's shinobi through the ranks more quickly than it's rivals.[/size][/font][/list] [u][b]The SBC League[/b][/u] Governed by the SBC, the League is sub-divided into five divisions named after the old shinobi mission ranks, D, C, B, A and S in which shinobi compete for prestige and financial reward. Divisions are themselves sub-divided further into team and individual competition, of which members of the latter compete in trios in the former. More detailed information can be found under the following headings. [b]The Shinobi[/b] To actually enter the SBC League, one must either qualify from an SBC run shinobi academy or one must apply directly to the SBC to be considered as a candidate and accepted or denied based on performance in a SBC standardised test of rudimentary shinobi skills, this is however a rare occurrence and the vast majority of shinobi come from academies. Based on one?s performance in the final academy exam and the judgement of the academy master, a shinobi will enter the SBC League in a particular division based on their skills. Shinobi are assessed on five major points of skill, or the five primary jutsu as they?re also known. [list][*][size=1][font=verdana]Taijutsu - Unarmed or hand-to-hand fighting techniques.[/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana]Ninjutsu - Use of moulded chakra and hand-seals.[/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana]Genjutsu - Illusionary techniques.[/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana]Zanjutsu - Use of bladed weapons, such as kunai or swords.[/size][/font] [*][size=1][font=verdana]Shunjutsu - Agility, speed and movement techniques, such as shunshin no jutsu.[/size][/font][/list] Summoning and sealing techniques are not unusual, but considered as failing outside of the five main jutsu and subject to personal development if desired, same to be said for medical jutsu. Most shinobi in the higher divisions, typically high B, A and S master each of the five areas, with S-ranked shinobi often mastering nearly if not all five for combat. Kekkai Genkai or Bloodline Limits are believed not to have survived the war, either as a result of the families being killed off during the war, killed after the war, or choosing to seal away their Kekkai Genkai permanently after the war to fit in with society again. Rumours do exist of those who continue to wield Kekkai Genkai, but they occur only very rarely and have never been proven. [b]Matches[/b] SBC matches are relatively straight-forward affairs, although their effect on rankings in the league are anything but straight forward. Matches are always one on one, regardless of whether or not a match is between individuals or teams. Victories are decided at the behest of SBC referees, usually highly skilled retired-shinobi based on knocking out their opponent, or otherwise leaving them unable to continue fighting. The last part has led to some shinobi assuming that the death of an opponent is an acceptable method of ending a match, doing so purposefully however has resulted in severe penalisation or expulsion from the League. Matches are themselves arranged by the SBC particular to a shinobi?s skill and division with a two advanced notice to both participants of the venue and their opponent. Most shinobi use this time to train and study their opponent. Usually a shinobi will receive no more than one match a month. [b]Teams[/b] Teams are relatively new to the SBC, having only entered the League about ten years ago. Made up of three individuals, along usually with a ?Taicho? or Team Captain who oversees the training and development of the team and acts as a go-between for the team and the SBC. Proponents of teams believe that not only does this lend more legitimacy to the SBC in mirroring Genin training, but improves the quality of the shinobi produced within the divisions. Opponents however present the opposite argument stating that teams are usually made up of several already highly skilled individuals and that those who are not in teams face a disadvantage at not having the extra training and mentoring of a Taicho in individual division matches. Team competition occurs within normal divisions based on the average skill of the three-person team. Matches are conducted one on one between members of opposing teams, with winner by majority of victories [2/3 or 3/3]. Competing in teams has become very popular in the SBC, with most divisions having several teams in competition with one another. S-Division is something of an oddity in that it does not have teams, this is because usually by the time a team reaches S-Rank, it?s individual shinobi no longer need the benefits of team-membership. Financially for the shinobi involved, being on a team is a very good thing, as successful teams are quite publicised within the media, leading to usually more sponsorship deals to choose from. [b]Divisions[/b] [INDENT][B]D[/B] - The starting point for the majority of shinobi, and the third largest division after the B and C divisions respectively. It's competitors are characterised by young men and woman aged between 15 and 18 usually with still developing skill. Division D is also referred to as the ?tumble polisher?, due to many of it's youngest shinobi learning the difference between academy and league life through bruises. [B]Current Individual Champion:[/B] Yoshida Mai. [B]Current Team Champions:[/B] Great Wave of the Future. [B]C[/B] - Although being the second most populated division, the C is something nobody aspires to spend their career in. D it?s reasoned has the least skill due to the rawness of it?s members, and thus at least retains some semblance of respect. C-Division has no such luck and thus is home to the fiercest competition of the five Divisions in the hope of advancing to the B. Many combatants aim to spend as little time in the C as possible, and as such, shinobi typically spend between one and two years in the division, which in the lifetime of their career is quite little. [B]Current Individual Champion:[/B] Katsumoto Jidanbou. [B]Current Team Champions:[/B] The White Eagles. [B]B[/B] - The largest of the five divisions, B is home to mid-level fighters of various ages and disciplines. Some fighters careers only reach this point, while future S-Ranked shinobi are often categorised by starting in the Division. [B]Current Individual Champion:[/B] Ogawa Kimiko. [B]Current Team Champions:[/B] Koukawa Dragons. [B]A[/B]- Qualifying to the A-Division is an achievement not to be snuffed at. Although it lacks the overall status of the S-Division, A is still home to some very skilled shinobi. The majority of academy instructors and referees for the SBC come from here, having spent usually many years honing and improving their skills to their peak within this highly competitive Division. [B]Current Individual Champion:[/B] Miyamoto Akira [B]Current Team Champions:[/B] Konoha's Pride. [B]S[/B] - The elite of the league, S-ranked shinobi are by far the smallest division, but doubtlessly the most prestigious, even reaching Division S is enough to secure the celebrity of many competitors to the end of their days. One of the most important traditions of the S-Division, something believed to have been revived from the ancient shinobi is that on entering the S-Division, a competitor will be given a new name or title to be used in addition to or instead of their own name reflecting that particular shinobi?s skills. For example, the title of the current champion, Ishikawa Hideki is [I]Suijin[/I] or [I]Water God[/I], reflecting his mastery of Suiton-style jutsu. [B]Current Individual Champion and SBC League Champion:[/B] Ishikawa Hideki[/INDENT] [b]Advancement Through Divisions[/b] When the SBC was first set up, nobody could have envisaged the difficulty that would come about not from competitions within the League, but in actually managing the movement of shinobi between divisions, needless to say, even a century later, there are still some kinks to be worked out before the system is completely streamlined. Current, when a shinobi enters a particular division, they are given a divisional ranking relative to their position in the division against it?s current champion who holds the number one ranking. This ranking along with the SBC-issued ID number of the shinobi enables the SBC to arrange matches according to a shinobi?s level of skill, as well record his/her victories and defeats and issue higher ranks accordingly. Actually advancing between Divisions is a difficult process and is not as simply as just beating the current divisional champion, although that is a prerequisite. To move into a higher division, a shinobi must compete to the point where they are ranked high enough in a division to face the champion in a sanctioned match authorised by the SBC itself. If the shinobi is successful in defeating the champion, their skills are then assessed against the standards required for the next division, if these are acceptable, the shinobi moves on into the next division and is issued a new divisional ranking. However, and this is where things get even more complicated, if a shinobi?s skills are not up to the par of the next division, they are required to fight the champion again and if successful in defeating them for a second time, the shinobi will become the new divisional champion. After this, they must fight at least five matches as champion before being assessed again for advancement. Of course if they fail to defeat the champion the second time around, their ranking is changed to reflect their standing in the division and they must wait for another match against the champion to try to advance again. Of course defeating a champion is no simple matter, they?re divisional champions for a reason, and thus the majority of advancements between divisions are by champions, though there are a minority who have advanced through sheer skill alone without being champions. Many would comment that the best way to get into a higher division is probably just to qualify into it after the academy. Relegation from divisions is uncommon, but not unheard of. Shinobi who suffer a string of successive defeats in the lower portions of one division may be subject to further evaluation after which a decision may be taken to demote the shinobi back down to a lower league. ||||| [b][u]Main Players[/u][/b] [b]Gavin[/b] as [i]Hasegawa Daisuke[/i] Class A, Team Captain [b]Darren[/b] as [i]Shimizu Sayuri[/i] Class B, Team Strategist [b]Keblade Wielder[/b] as [i]Inoue Miku[/i] Class C, Team Member [b]Zero Sephiroth[/b] as [i]Hayashi Yoshirou[/i] Class C, Team Member I've left in the story and the other info for obvious reasons, I'll also be adding more, as I forgot to write stuff about the cities and towns. We'll also keep a record of battles fought for story-telling purposes. Anyway, any other questions people have, please post them here so everyone can see them. Again thanks for getting involved, I hope you all have a good time.[/LEFT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=Black][SIZE="3"][CENTER][B]Hasegawa Daisuke[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER] [LEFT][SIZE="1"]There's the briefest flash as our swords crash off one another, then another, and another as we continue to trade blows at speeds I imagine only a handful of people in the audience are capable of following. The combination of zanjutsu and shunjutsu is immensely popular in the SBC, but it's rare enough to find anyone in the lower leagues who are capable of effectively utilising it, too often people move too fast to see properly and their blade skills aren't honed finely enough to rely on senses other than sight. ...But this guy is different. I throw my head back at the last second, his katana passes literally millimetres above the tip of my nose, my eyes widen unconsciously in shock. This guy really is different, I've never had someone get that close to me with an attack before, if I hadn't dodged it, my face would probably be on the arena floor already... Bastard, he's not only strong, but he's able to predict my movements almost perfectly. You've got to be kidding me. I smash out a kick with my right foot, he falls back just far enough to put some space between us. The gash on my left shoulder aches again, fresh blood pouring from the open wound. I grit my teeth at the pain, but keep my eyes focussed completely on my opponent. Lucky for me, he's not in pristine condition either, the cut I gave him across his right forearm seems to be preventing him from striking as hard as he can, I figure in the next few shots, he's going to pull out that wakizahi tucked into his obi and switch to one handed blows, works just fine for me. "[b]I have to say, it's been a while since I've had this much of a challenge in a fight.[/b]" He doesn't reply, great, one of those silent shinobi types. Man, I hate those guys, I'm pretty quiet myself, but I'll at least trade a few words with my opponent. It's insulting, if you're going to fight someone seriously, then conversation is an inevitability if it's your first fight against one another. I guess maybe I'm a little old fashioned that way, jeez, nineteen and old fashioned, what a combination, thanks for that sensei. It doesn't take even another set of traded strikes before he's right hand shifts from the two handed grip in his katana and falls to the hilt of his sidearm before drawing it old slowly. I knew it. Well, might as well fight two weapons with two weapons. I return my katana to it's saya running horizontally across my back, before grabbing two of it's companion swords over my shoulders and drawing them out. "[b]Why did you change your swords, Hasegawa-san ?[/b]" By God, the scarecrow can speak. His voice tells me a little about him too, it's refined and eloquent with just a touch of distain thrown in for good measure. He's nobility, or descended from nobility. I flick a few stray strands of my stark white hair back from in front of my face and give him a small smile. "[b]This may seem strange, or even silly, but if I'm using two of my swords at the same time, I like them to come from one of the two pairs I carry. If I draw two of them from two different sets, I think it looks unsightly. Don't you agree, Kato-san ?[/b] Gripping the katana in my left hand harder makes my wounded shoulder lance our more pain, but I don't allow it to show on my face, he doesn't need to know I probably can only fight as well with swords as he can. He chuckles slightly before answering. "[b]I see I was correct about you Hasegawa-san.[/b]" "[b]What do you mean ?[/b]" "[b]You are, or at least, have been trained by nobility. Your katana told me as much during our exchanges Hasegawa-san, and now you've simply confirmed it by that statement... A commoner would not be concerned by the unsightliness of his weapons during a duel.[/b]" Reflexively I chuckled too, God damn, I'm practically an open book to this guy. I bow my head slightly, not losing sight of him, even if I doubt he'll attack me. "[b]You?re correct Kato-san, my sensei was descended from one of the noble shinobi clans. If my sword speaks to you of nobility, it's his, which was passed on to me through his training.[/b]" Movement blurs again as we charge at one another, all that has needed to be said has been said. Our blades flash and crash faster this time, his wakizashi thrusts towards my face, glancing off my cheek and drawing a slight rivulet of blood. But my katana sought his open left side at the same time and makes deeper wound. He gasps, just for a moment, before his face hardens again, and the distance between us increases. The red patch in his jacket becomes more visible, drawing the attention of the referee. Kato glances at the older woman and shakes his head slowly, signalling he does not require the match to be ended, she looks to me and I motion likewise. "[b]I must compliment your skills Hasegawa-san, your zanjutsu and shunjutsu skills equal my own in almost every respect.... However, if that is the case, I must switch to a different style to defeat you.[/b] My mind races, as I watch him sheath his daisho. He has taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu open to him, and at this point in the match, I have no idea how our remaining skills match up to one another. The hand seals come quicker than expected. Shit. Ninjutsu. ?[b]Wind Release: Dancing Gale Blades.[/b] He's katana comes back out of it's saya fast, slicing twice through the air between us. Dancing Gale Blades, shit. If that hits me, it's all over. My own seals are rough, they have to be to come fast enough to counter his attack, I release my chakra and slam my right foot hard down into the ground of the arena floor. "[b]Earth Release: Earth Wall Jutsu.[/b]" The barrier rises up just in time to block, seven feet high and roughly five feet wide, it's nothing more than a giant erect stone slab, but it does the job. There's silence for the smallest of moments, before the rock wall between us crashes down in a heap of slag and debris. The dust cloud prevents me from seeing him, but my hearing is going enough to guess he's still in near enough to same spot as before. Thankfully, it's the same for him, breathing out slowly, I try to figure out a way of actually finishing this fight without killing myself in the process. He doesn't give me time. "[b]Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile.[/b]" I hate fire-type jutsu, if only because in this situation it's the perfect type to use and he got through the seals first. The blaze of fire parts the dust between us in seconds, searing the air and the ground. My shunshin no jutsu barely allows me to escape the blast unscathed. I can still see the thin stream of smoke coming from his mouth. Contrary to popular belief, repeated use of shunjutsu really do drain your chakra, people tend to think it's only ninjutsu or summoning jutsu that do it because the effects are visible. Where the hell do they think that extra burst of speed comes from ? We're both pretty near our limits, the match has been going on nearly ninety minutes at this stage and the exchange has been almost constant. I could try using genjutsu at this point, but there's no guarantee that he won't be able to break through it, and then, then I'll be in trouble. Taijutsu it is then. I sprint the distance between us, I'll need my chakra in a minute, so using a shunjutsu at this point would only be detrimental. As expected, he charges at me as well, bare-handed. My closed fist strikes out towards his face, but with a deft block, the attack is diverted. His left leg sweeps at mine in the hope of knocking me off balance, before the blow can connect, I flip myself vertically, driving my heel down into what I hope will be his shoulder. As he disappears from my view, I know that it's all or nothing now, sweat is already pouring down my brow and back. Gathering all my remaining chakra, I focus it into my right foot before launching my body into a butterfly kick. It's fifty/fifty, either I hit him and hopefully do enough damage to beat him, or I'll collapse from chakra exhaustion and lose the match. My vision is already blurring, a wave of pure exhaustion hits me, but at the last second, I feel my foot connect with something solidly, and the crowd gasps. It doesn't matter... I'm already out. Later, I'll be told the match was a draw, if only just, my kick caught the side of his jaw and knocked him out completely, if I'd managed to stay awake, I'd have won. Still, a draw is better than a loss, and the pretty young nurse who's treating me is certainly conductive to relaxation and recuperation. Kato-san, the next time we fight, I'll be stronger. I hope you will be too. ||||| Seeing as I haven't directly laid out traditional sign up fields for people, I guess I'll do so now, as I can provide a little more info on Daisuke with it. [b]Name:[/b] Hasegawa Daisuke [b]Age:[/b] 19 [b]Appearance:[/b] The first thing people tend to notice about Daisuke is his stark white hair, which for a nineteen year old seems pretty out of place. Coming down around his shoulders when left untied, for the sake of being able to fight more efficiently, Daisuke normally does tie it back into a pony-tail. His dark blue eyes and slightly ruddy skin complexion off-set the strangeness of his hair. Due to his dojo training before entering the SBC academy, Daisuke tends to wear rather formal clothing, made up of a black, white and red gi and ankle-length hakama as well as a pair of geta, which when compared to the clothing styles of other shinobi, gives him a slightly more old-fashioned look, reminiscent of the samurai class. His katana are held in two sets of pairs, and one lone sword. One pair over his shoulders, the other at each of his left and right side and the final going horizontally across his back. Unlike many shinobi, Daisuke completely forgoes the use of armour. The logic behind this is his belief the extra weight slows down his shunjutsu, which in itself is a far better defence due to his avoiding attacks rather than simply taking them with no damage. Rough idea of Daisuke can be seen [url=http://fc05.deviantart.com/images/i/2003/40/0/7/The_young_samurai.jpg][b]here[/b][/url], except for the different hair colour and clothing. [b]Personality:[/b] Daisuke is rather normal when it comes down to it, maybe a bit quiet at times, but overall a fairly normal person. He's far more laid back than his appearance would indicate, enjoying life's simpler pleasures as much as fighting for money and fame in the SBC League. Honour is immensely important to Daisuke however, reflecting some of his traditionalist upbringing, and insults against him are not readily forgiven. Most people will find him to be well-mannered, well-read and quite pleasant. [b]Skills:[/b] Zanjutsu - His greatest strength when combined with his shunjutsu, it has allowed him to overcome opponents extremely quickly in matches as they become unable to deal with the flurry of blade strikes. However as seen from his most recent match, continued use of the combination over a long period of time can lead to dangerous levels of chakra depletion. His swords, referred to as the Five Bloodied Fangs of the Dragon, due to the quintet of red, guard-less katana he carries with him are four Tensho-made blades, and one sword from which the others were copied of unknown origins. His style, takes advantage of the numerous blades, up to and including all five at the same time, although this final technique, the Blooming of the Crimson Lotus has never actually been seen in combat, and Daisuke is reluctant to speak about it. Shunjutsu - One of the most basic skills of any shinobi, Daisuke like many others has honed it to become the foundation of his entire battle style. Genjutsu - Although unused in his latest match, Daisuke is quite proficient in using genjutsu, combining the flashing motions of his swords to disorient opponents for a moment with the genjutsu so that they do not realise they've fallen under illusion until it's too late. Many of his genjutsu involve flower petals according to his opponents. Taijutsu - Despite his heavy use of kenjutsu, Daisuke received training in taijutsu at both his sensei's dojo as a child, as well as the SBC Academy when he was trained as an adolescent. His taijutsu style, unlike his zanjutsu style is rather eclectic, a personal mixture of elements of each form of taijutsu he has studied. In combat he tends however to rely on either powerful limb strikes or turning an opponents own strength against them mirroring a soft style martial art. Ninjutsu - As a close range fighter, Daisuke does not have much use for ninjutsu, using it only in the event of his opponent doing so. Despite this, he had a rounded knowledge of jutsu and can hold his own in a contest. Of the five jutsu types, this is probably his weakest however. Other jutsu. Daisuke, despite his adept chakra control does not using medical or summoning/sealing type jutsu, simply because they do not factor into his fighting style, and he has not had formal instruction in the arts themselves. [b]Wins/Draws/Losses:[/b] 165/18/39 [b]Division and Rank:[/b] A 38. [b]Team:[/b] Currently Independent. [b]Sponsor:[/b] Tanaka Battle Technologies. ||||| Well, it's been about a week since I launched the thread, I was hoping for more applicants, and it's a shame to see some people pull out. Because of that, I've decided to limit it to three role-players as a team with myself playing the captain, although that won't actually occur in game for a little while. Anyway, the lucky three are: [b]Keblade Wielder[/b] as [i]Inoue Miku[/i] Class C [b]Zero Sephiroth[/b] as [i]Hayashi Yoshirou[/i] Class C [b]Darren[/b] as [i]Shimizu Sayuri[/i] Class B Thanks to everyone else who signed up or otherwise expressed an interest. I'll have the play thread up in a day or two, hopefully this can be some fun. I'll also be creating a Backroom thread for players and other people to post any questions they might have.[/LEFT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE="1"]You know, with this thread, a small bit of the soul of Group Sounds returns to OB. Heh heh. [b]Haircut of the Year[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/HaircutOfTheYear.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER][/SIZE]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]Of course, if you've been around OB as long as I have you know that anything is possible, given enough time. Hm. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yep, pushing boundaries in one way or another has always been fun, provided you have the materials, powers and personality pointed out by D'Ann. Heh.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Like Crys, "What are you Listening to ?" gives away my latest musical obsession, or rather my latest two obsessions in the form of [B]Disturbed[/B] and [B]Nickeback[/B]. Mostly listening to the former at the moment, having heard their remake of "[I]Perfect Insanity[/I]" for their up-coming album Indestructible. Decent piece, but it wouldn't be my favourite Distubed song. Of Nickelback, [i]Someone That You're With[/i] from All The Right Reasons has just clocked up it's jus over the hundred listenings mark according to iTunes, with [I]Fight for All the Wrong Reasons[/I] two places behind it. Awesome band, I wish I hadn't taken so long to get their stuff.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Great piece. Simply a great piece. I love the way you changed the format for this D, instead of your usual style, it seems far more poetic and in keeping with the emotional nature of the meeting. I suppose I can appreciate it more than others, seeing as of the four members mentioned in the piece, you and I are the only ones left active from the old days. Heh, I miss those two.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Treble']Ah, I see. I guess the fight between the two Uchiha brothers must been pretty long then. Even though I?m not a big fan of the two, I still want to see how things ended between the brothers. It should be interesting. And it?ll probably be a while until I catch up with you guys again, haha.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yeah, I agree with TC, we'll probably end up dropping plot bomb shells by accident for you, so getting caught up sooner rather than later might be a good idea. Heh, finally that spoilers warning in the title is coming in handy.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Memphis'][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Of course Ichigo's going to defeat Ulquiorra. I just hope Ulquiorra don't have any lame reasons for fighting / doing what he do, like Grimmjow.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Well obviously he has an interest in Ichigo, what with constantly assessing his strength and the strike throuh his opponent in the same place as his own hollow hole showing as such. Now all it depends on is whether Ulquiorra's interest is personal like Grimmjow's, or purely out of loyalty to Aizen. I have to say though, I actually liked Grimmjow's reasons for fighting. For someone like Ichigo who's resolve comes from protecting others, it was kinda cool to see someone like Grimm who's resolve came out of his lone-wolf personality. [/SIZE] [quote name='Memphis'][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]You're not saying you want to see Neliel fight again just to stare at her, are you? :p [/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Uhh...ummm...uhhh...No comment. ^_^;[/SIZE]

[quote name='MistressRoxie'][color=#9933ff]Ouch Gavin. That sucks. Three points on your licence for a cell? >_

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]Blame Allamorph, he got me started on it. :p Anyway, right now I'm on this: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK2HLC3_UxI&feature=related"][U]Haddaway - What Is Love From Movie Night In Roxbury Nick[/U][/URL] It's much more fun in the context of that movie though. That show is so painfully stupid you can't help but laugh at it. Heh. This clip with Jim Carrey [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgM9_QJ6cZc&feature=related"][U]A night at Roxbury[/U][/URL] is the funniest though. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Heh sure Crys, I don't recall Allamorph being the one going on about them in our AIM conversations. ^_~ Heh, nice job with Haddaway by the way, the second one has definitely given me some laughs in the past. I was actually thinking of posting it in the Lounge's Funtime thread.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Dagger']What's the second one from? I feel like I've seen that nose and chin before... or maybe I'm just imagining things... :animeswea Anyway, guys, try to watch your image sizes: the thread layout is crying a wee bit. ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Naruto Shippuden again, it's Sai. Funny thing is, that's pretty much just normal conversation for him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Yeah, guess we should probably have cleaned up after ourselves, apologies Hugo. Must have been a fun little thing to find in your magnum opus. ^_~[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I'm going to do pretty much what I always do, get mass in the morning and then enjoy some Easter eggs when I get back. Easter Sunday is never really that different from a normal Sunday, well maybe except for some family coming around for dinner, and obviously the Easter eggs. ^_^;[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Yeesh, and here I wondered why Crys was showing off her Nightwish obsession to everyone. Anyway, at the moment I'm alternating back and forth between [b]Disturbed[/b] and [b]Nickelback[/b]. I'm not hugely into metal, but Disturbed just have something about them musically which I enjoy. I've always enjoyed Nickelback's stuff, it's just taken me ages to actually go out and get their albums as opposed to listening on Youtube.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]My opinion hasn't changed since the last thread, kids learn bad habits way more from the people around them than what they see in movies, at least as far as smoking goes in my experience. My two younger sibling both smoked, one of whom still does and I can safely say they started it because of their friends than because they saw it in a cinema. Overall it's rather pointless, well intentioned, but rather pointless. Education for kids on smoking really needs to start closer to home than Universal's latest.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Like Rach, I don't drive often due to a lack of a car, so getting a ticket would be a fairly difficult thing to do. I'm a fairly cautious driver too, mainly because not only is insurance in this country an absolute rip-off, but the police will crucify you over practically anything, particularly minor stuff which gets you points on your licence. I've no idea how driving with a phone would affect your insurance Roxie, I know over here it's something like 3 points on your licence and will most certainly affect your insurance. I recommend telling your mother, these things have a habit of getting around whether you want it or not, so better to fess up than have to face it unprepared. As for telling your insurance company, again probably would, if it's not going to affect your insurance, there's no harm in telling them, better to be safe than sorry.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Memphis'][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Perhaps, and proven, sort of in their previous schuffle, Ichigo can overpower Ulquiorra with the mask, but then again, Ulquiorra's sleeves was the only thing that took damage. So, I'm sort of tossing what Ulquiorra said out the window at this point. And then there's also the thought of Ulquiorra releasing.... (I have Ulquiorra pegged as a vasto lorde)[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I've had Ulquiorra pegged as a Vasto Lorde from the start, if only because he looks exactly like the Vasto Lorde shown in the background when Hitsugaya was giving his explanation of the Menos classes to Ichigo, well that and his general ***-kickery so far. Obviously Ichigo is going to defeat Ulquiorra in the end, it's been building up to that for God knows how long, and he has to do so in order to rescue Orihime as Ulquiorra is the last of Aizen's Espada left in Hueco Mundo. It's interesting in that Ulquiorra does not seem genuinely evil, at least compared to other Espada, more so utterly loyal to Aizen. I'm not calling him good by any stretch of the imagination, just that we should hopefully get some interesting dialogue between the two. Anyone else want to see Neliel fight again ?[/SIZE] [quote name='Memphis'][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]No doubt. But maybe his ego is as big as Aizen's. Out of all the unseen bankai, Aizen's the one I'm mostly curious about. I'm mean his shikai has the cheapest ability, and how could one actually expand on that ability?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yeah, have to say, Aizen's shikai ability is the one that really comes closest to a bankai out of all of them. If I had to guess, I'd say that his bankai will expand on the ways he can trap someone in his [strike]genjutsu[/strike] illusions using his [strike]Sharingan[/strike] Zanpakutou, i.e. hearing or smell aside from touch. Heh, yeah, no similarities there. ^_^; Aizen seems to be suffering from the Uchiha Itachi villain complex. As for how Yama-jiisan is going to beat Aizen, I haven't a clue, but it will be a kick-*** fight to watch.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Treble']What?s this?! Shino?s back in action? He probably won?t be able to do much against Tobi, but it?s always entertaining to see him and his weird bug tactics in action. I definitely gotta get caught up with the manga again. I stopped reading since the beginning of the face off between Itachi and Sasuke, and it looks like a lot of have took place since then.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]If you weren't interested in the Sharingan-off, then not a lot's really happened plot wise excluding them. This was the first time since the start of that fight it's actually moved back to the Konoha-nin.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Hmm, I suppose I should have given some thought to finding an image for the Sentinel, I've always had an idea what she looks like, but then I did come up with the ship. Alexander just doesn't really fit to be honest, too all over the place, at least compared to how I had it pictured, by which I mean she's just not sleek enough. If I had to pick a FFXII ship, the one that really fits the image I had, and funnily enough is itself a dreadnought, would be the Leviathan. [url=http://atma.lost-edens.com/albums/userpics/10002/Leviathan%2C%20vue%20du%20dessous%20-%20Below%20view.jpg][B]Sentinel - Below View[/B][/url] [url=http://atma.lost-edens.com/albums/userpics/10002/Leviathan~3.jpg][B]Sentinel - Above View[/B][/url] Now that's sleek. A sort of steam-punk Executor. Regular cruisers look quite similar to the Sentinel, seeing as the latter is just a cruiser on a far larger scale. [url=http://atma.lost-edens.com/albums/userpics/10002/Shiva~5.jpg][B]Czenovian Air-Fleet Cruiser[/B][/url] The fighters on board, as opposed to the gunships used by the RPG look pretty similar to this, well except for the whole changing shape idea, that's a little much I'd say, even if it would be cool. [url=http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/images/e/eb/XII_Valefor.jpg][B]Czenovian Air-Fleet Fighter[/B][/url][/SIZE]

[quote name='Andrew'][size=1]And what about me? Sounds like an irresponsible father passing blame if you ask me Gav! ^_^ (Says the one who's been written as leaving his daughter with Raiha ¬_¬)[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yep, whichever way the toss falls, I still look like a better father than you in this. Heh heh. Guess we could go and try to be superheroes again like in high school, doubt we're suffering from the mid-rifts and bald-spots of humans just yet, in fact, we probably shouldn't have aged all that much if we're Saiya-jin. Hmm... *Ponders*[/SIZE]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine'][COLOR=#503f86]Kubo? Don't you mean Zetsu? [/COLOR] [COLOR=#503f86]Methinks you've been reading too much manga, Gav :p[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [quote name='TwistedChick']Actually, he means Kishimoto. Darn mangaka and their names both starting with K...[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Heh, well, when you're caught, you're caught, damn you Hugo, heh. Yeah, I meant to write Kishi, blame it on my habit of reading Naruto and Bleach at the same time when the new chapters come out.[/SIZE]

[quote name='TwistedChick']Would Kubo miss the opportunity to draw a panel of Gin looking all evil and pleased unless he had other things for him in mind?[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Depends really on what Kubo plans to do with them in the coming fight, Aizen has six captains to face, not including the ex-captains in the living world as well as one captain-level Quincy. It's fair to say numbers aren't on his side, so having Gin and Tousen hang back does beg the question what they're going to be doing while this is going on. Tracking down Urahara would seem a logical enough idea. Either way, I want to see a few of those unseen bankai. Yama-ji's is definitely going to be impressive, being the most powerful zanpakutou in all Soul Society.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Allamorph, whatever about losing 15/20 IQ points because of Rach's video, I think you probably killed my brain with that last one... In fact, I'm not even sure how I'm forming coherent speech at this point... Just got a bunch of Ameriquest ads in an email, funny stuff. [CENTER][YOUTUBE="Ameriquest Cat"]xaKpm7YwLY8[/YOUTUBE] [youtube="Ameriquest Doctor"]E19vhkBi1iY[/youtube][/CENTER] One more, not Ameriquest this time. [CENTER][youtube= "Advent Children Captain Planet"]kLKFW6YRGuE[/youtube][/CENTER] Oh what the hell, one more. [CENTER][YOUTUBE="Final Falcon Punch"]1oFJ87G85-E[/YOUTUBE][/SIZE][/CENTER]