"RRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWRRR!!!"
Well...this wasn't looking so great. It didn't take the rose-haired foreigner long at all to find his target. With his newfound grasp on his "A." abilities, it only took him focusing Ō-Dōsatsu to locate the massive lifeform circling around its target village. Bringing the hulking creature down, however? Now that was a different story...
Mako was already within the village when the carnage began. It was located far from Sunagakure, almost on the outskirts of Wind Country. With his atrocious navigational skill, it was usually a horrible idea for him to travel so far by himself. When it came to finding his way around, he was completely inept. Hell, his journey to the Village Hidden by Sand nearly got him killed. Like the fool he was he entered the desert with no provisions or protective clothing, and he didn't have the faintest idea on how to find the place. But that twisted "A." fortune of his showed its hand, allowing him to finally stumble upon the Toraono Dojo after wandering around in the sands for a week. Though when he arrived, he was quite literally at death's door due to exposure and dehydration. His incredible life force pulled him through (with a little help from Byakko Kyuji), but you would think after an experience like that he would be more wary of the harsh desert. Right?
Wrong.
Immediately the youth could tell this was going to be tough. This particular worm had one hell of a presence, and that usually indicated great strength in a living thing. Normal people might've been daunted by being able to detect something like that...but not this airhead. Instead? A mischievous grin took hold on his face as the gargantuan beast emerged from beneath the sands. The sheer force of its roar created violent gusts of wind, which kicked up a miniature sandstorm of its own and caused his hair and clothes to billow erratically in the gale. Sure this thing might've been responsible for dozens of deaths in the past few weeks...but damn if he wasn't excited! This was the perfect opponent on which to test his new abilities. It was time to see if that month of training nonstop with his grandfather had been worth anything. In other words? It was Go Time. His Sense basically screamed at him as the creature lunged at the boy, giving him enough of a warning to crouch down and spring upwards. He clear leapt over its body as the sandworm continued on its path and crashed headfirst into a nearby building. Whoever was in charge of the town had made sure to evacuate all of the civilians before the beast returned -- and it was a good thing, too. This battle wouldn't end without some collateral damage.
A whip-like tail shot up to swat Mako out of the air, sending the boy barreling through the sky and out further into the desert. His ability warned him of the attack well beforehand, but he was already airborne. Maybe if he was skilled in clone jutsu he could've evaded, but in this case he had little choice but to brace for impact and take the blow. It hurt like hell. He was far more resilient than the average shinobi, but getting punted by a sandworm's tail was no joke. Upon impact with a dune a plume of sand shot upwards into the sky, giving the creature a clear indication of his position. And before he could even scramble to his feet it was already upon him again, bearing its teeth in preparation to rip him apart. This thing was fast! Much more nimble than the absolutely colossal Barynx. He'd done battle with a few modified wyrms in the Chaumerus Caverns, but the oldest one of that group had only been an adolescent. This was a full grown Sunan sandworm...and honestly he'd underestimated it. From the way things were looking that was quite possibly a fatal mistake. His life was in danger. If he didn't act fast this would be the end. So with no time to think and little more to act, Mako did what the only thing he could do. He threw a punch.
KKRRRRRRKKKKK!
The sound of teeth being shattered filled the air, along with a pained screech from the towering creature. As it reared back in pain Mako stumbled backwards from confusion, his gaze falling downwards to his left hand that should've been gone...
"...?!"
It couldn't be...Ō-Yoroi</I><I>?! Either that or his hand had been burnt to a crisp somehow. It was jet black, sunlight reflecting off of it as if it were metallic. And it felt...heavy? Like a thousand pound glove had been slipped on over his limb. There were only a few things in this world that could render Mako speechless, but this seemed to be one of them. What he was displaying right now was the single most rare ability an "A." carrier could exhibit. Only two of the "clan"s modern descendants had EVER shown it before. And in this instant that number had been bumped up to three. In short, it was a destructive weapon like no other. It had been developed for the sole purpose of slaying Greater Demons...so a mere sandworm would be nothing before it. Mako clenched his hand into a fist, the black coating spreading further up his arm as he narrowed his eyes on his target. "Trigger." the boy muttered aloud, a crimson aura exploding from beneath his feet as he did so. It enveloped his entire body, kicking up sand as it flared violently. His heart, capillaries, and cells had all been expanded to overclock his bodily functions. His body's internal temperature rising caused even some of his blood to evaporate, which when mixed with his unstable chakra gave his aura its red color. This thing had picked a bad time to start harassing villages while he was in Wind Country. How unfortunate. In an instant he flashed out of sight, a high-pitched drone sounding out to signal his ridiculously fast movement. As quickly as he had disappeared from sight he reappeared, this time in midair next to the sandworm's head. (Shadow Dance)
Like a cannon he loosed his armored fist, the impact creating a sound no quieter than a thunderclap. The hardened carapace on the creature's head splintered under the force of his attack, a fist-shaped dent appearing where his strike had connected. Quiet followed next, with the enormous beast reeling backwards...before suddenly its shell in its entirety shattered. His punch carried so much force and was so fast, the damage dealt to the sandworm was delayed by a few seconds. Not even a pained roar ensued as the massive worm crumpled into the sands, tiny pieces of its carapace raining down all around it (Nostalgia Strike + Double Edge). Large amounts of sand was displaced as if it was water when the creature fell. And Mako landed heavily nearby, dispelling his Trigger as his left hand returned to its normal state. Regardless of whether it was dead or not, that thing wasn't getting back up. His job here was done...and money wasn't the only thing he'd gotten out of this experience. An ancient ability that bestowed untold power upon its wielder was his to command. Y'know...once he actually learned how to use it at will. His grandpa was definitely in for a surprise next time he showed up. But it seemed like he just couldn't catch a break. Because despite its usefulness, this revelation also entailed something else...
...more training. A loud sigh could be heard as Mako started off in the direction of Suna. He had to at least get some food first!
WC: 1282