The train rumbled along down the tracks picking up speed to at least 6omph. Michino had never rode the trains before seeing them as…slow, when compared to his natural speeds that could easily clock within the one-hundreds. Yet with the wind in his hair and the natural expanse of desert laid out around him he could catch some of the appeal. It was, if nothing else, quite relaxing. It gave him a unique vantage point for his latest bounty target.
His flame wreathed eyes were looking for something in the distance. The impromptu choice to hop on a nearby train going the same direction as himself was little more than conserving energy while he hunted. A certain mission popped up on the boards a week after Steward Wei took control of Suna, and that was some gigantic blue lizards were causing a ruckus on a newly acquired oil well. Now, Michino for all intense and purposes was retired from shinobi life. He had nested himself deeply in Toraono politics but recently took up hunting as a hobby to get back into shape. It helped him get around the whole “able bodies needs to be in the military” thing Wei had going on right now as well. Being an important member of the clan’s leadership allowed the prophet to keep a better eye on the village instead of killing Nomads.. So, starting off with smaller beasts and working his way up, Michino had a small collection of mighty creatures he had beheaded and mounted in a room to his own in the Dojo. When the Beast heard there was giant blue lizards, terrorizing something, Hyou’s Chosen simply saw another opportunity to further sharpen his claws.
With a sudden explosion of power that sent waves of chakra cascading against the side of the train, something large and blue raised up in the far distance. The Toraono’s purple eyes shot East towards the image then utilized a single handseal increased the chakra already weaving in his eyes. The image zoomed in to reveal a large worm like creature with…were those, scales? Somehow, it noticed Michino was looking at it as he watched the creature turn a large head towards the train. It opened a gaping maw full of needle-like fangs and made a motion to roar at the hunter eying his prey; within moments Michino felt the challenge. The shock waves rocked the train so hard it began to tilt, making the dark-skinned giant stand up and stomp his full weight against the other side of the car. The sudden counter-balance realigned the train to the track as he then hopped off and into the sand.
The hunter’s enhanced vision kept locked on the dragon in the distance as wings sprouted from the back, pumping down hard enough to shatter the rocks nearby and raise it into the air. Hot sand that would have scalded any other man met the Toraono’s padded bare feet with grace as he focused a small touch of his energy to force the grains to be become solid beneath his strides. His hands lifted up to grab the hides and chains holding his form down and pull them up off his body. Without care, the Beast tossed the garments to the side revealing flesh, scars, and only a sarong made from some kind of tiger skin to guard his nethers. The moment the chains left his personal space, power that was constantly kept in check exploded outwards. The sands around him blew away from the sheer strength, hollowing out the ground beneath him. Each step was like another rung down deeper into the dunes until his image was longer visible. Then from the hole leaped a giant panther with curled ram horns, giant golden hoops pierced into the feline’s ears, and a snarl full of fangs that matched the menace of the dragon’s. The cat pushed off the strength of its back legs and began to bound across the desert like a box of sand towards the wyrm.
The two met explosively. Michino lunged with a pounce, knocking the creature right out the air with his fangs crushing down on the scales; they painfully slid across them. Sparks flew from between the two forces clashing, and the panther was forced to relinquish a perfect catch. Furious from the force of the bite the creature roared in defiance, searing the side of the panther’s hide with a bolts of lightning that struck down multiple times across his form in a split-second. A loud roar of pain and anger erupted from the demon as it began to move at speeds far beyond that of something it’s size. The movement caused small sonic-booms as it parried around the lightning before catching the lizard’s throat with a powerful swat. If he couldn’t cut the scales, he could crush it. Holding the blue scales against the sand, a low rumbling growl slipped past the Beast’s maw as he pushed the full weight of his giant form against the dragon’s neck. The sound of bones cracking beneath brought a measure of relief to Michino as he had never come across a foe he couldn’t simply bite to death.
The it was gone. In a poof of smoke the beast vanished from beneath his paw causing the panther to stumble forward. Then the sudden feel of a strike of something powerful against his right flank. A quick golden eye towards the source caught him what appeared to be a Nomad woman, clad in the same kind of hides that Michino wore to repress a chakra signature. In her hand was a giant club that she reared back and began to strike with again. This time, she, hit chakra smoke. The Nomad was stranded in the air for a brief moment of confusion before gravity took back over and landed her into the stinging sands. There, Michino stood with his raw power shifting and forming to the head of a panther around him, waiting for her. The furious purple energy suddenly absorbed itself back into the man's form, causing his muscles to bulged with power; he challenged her to a proper duel.
The Nomad female stood up slowly, recognizing without words the warrior’s honor between the two. He could have easily struck her down mid-air, but chose to land in the jaded dunes to wait for a proper fight instead. The Toraono had turned from hunter to swordsman in the recognition of his enemy’s strength, with the famed katana he tied to his name still sheathed in his left hand. She took a powerful stance, raising the club over her shoulder as if to hit a baseball and crouched lightly. Her movements alone caused the air to shake lightly. The Beast gripped the hilt of his weapon, shifted his right foot back against the sands and crouched as if getting ready to sprint. A crack of thunder roared above as a storm created from their chakra clouds began.
The Toraono vanished. She swung.
Before her swing, a large portion of desert and ground exploded away. Then blood sprayed from the female’s neck - a perfect strike on her carotid artery. Weakness filled her limbs instantly as the world blurred into darkness. The club left her hand and buried its weight into the sands before she fell over to the sound of the swordsman sheathing his blade. A heavy sigh left his lips as he turned. A look of disappointment was etched there without a doubt as the man who sought a beastly challenge was once more met with the hubris of human war. It was information for the village though. The Nomads were contacting dragons, making pacts that hadn’t been made in over thousands of years to combat the shinobi. Only a handful of the soldiers within Suna could have managed to take the Nomad down, and though the taste of war left a bitter note in his mouth, Michino was glad it was he who she faced, and not the lesser powered soldiers that were currently already in the field.
Sighing, the shinobi turned and left the body to whomever was watching. He would not dishonor the Nomads by taking one of their greatest warriors to be experimented on by the likes of his brother or Akkuma.
His flame wreathed eyes were looking for something in the distance. The impromptu choice to hop on a nearby train going the same direction as himself was little more than conserving energy while he hunted. A certain mission popped up on the boards a week after Steward Wei took control of Suna, and that was some gigantic blue lizards were causing a ruckus on a newly acquired oil well. Now, Michino for all intense and purposes was retired from shinobi life. He had nested himself deeply in Toraono politics but recently took up hunting as a hobby to get back into shape. It helped him get around the whole “able bodies needs to be in the military” thing Wei had going on right now as well. Being an important member of the clan’s leadership allowed the prophet to keep a better eye on the village instead of killing Nomads.. So, starting off with smaller beasts and working his way up, Michino had a small collection of mighty creatures he had beheaded and mounted in a room to his own in the Dojo. When the Beast heard there was giant blue lizards, terrorizing something, Hyou’s Chosen simply saw another opportunity to further sharpen his claws.
With a sudden explosion of power that sent waves of chakra cascading against the side of the train, something large and blue raised up in the far distance. The Toraono’s purple eyes shot East towards the image then utilized a single handseal increased the chakra already weaving in his eyes. The image zoomed in to reveal a large worm like creature with…were those, scales? Somehow, it noticed Michino was looking at it as he watched the creature turn a large head towards the train. It opened a gaping maw full of needle-like fangs and made a motion to roar at the hunter eying his prey; within moments Michino felt the challenge. The shock waves rocked the train so hard it began to tilt, making the dark-skinned giant stand up and stomp his full weight against the other side of the car. The sudden counter-balance realigned the train to the track as he then hopped off and into the sand.
The hunter’s enhanced vision kept locked on the dragon in the distance as wings sprouted from the back, pumping down hard enough to shatter the rocks nearby and raise it into the air. Hot sand that would have scalded any other man met the Toraono’s padded bare feet with grace as he focused a small touch of his energy to force the grains to be become solid beneath his strides. His hands lifted up to grab the hides and chains holding his form down and pull them up off his body. Without care, the Beast tossed the garments to the side revealing flesh, scars, and only a sarong made from some kind of tiger skin to guard his nethers. The moment the chains left his personal space, power that was constantly kept in check exploded outwards. The sands around him blew away from the sheer strength, hollowing out the ground beneath him. Each step was like another rung down deeper into the dunes until his image was longer visible. Then from the hole leaped a giant panther with curled ram horns, giant golden hoops pierced into the feline’s ears, and a snarl full of fangs that matched the menace of the dragon’s. The cat pushed off the strength of its back legs and began to bound across the desert like a box of sand towards the wyrm.
The two met explosively. Michino lunged with a pounce, knocking the creature right out the air with his fangs crushing down on the scales; they painfully slid across them. Sparks flew from between the two forces clashing, and the panther was forced to relinquish a perfect catch. Furious from the force of the bite the creature roared in defiance, searing the side of the panther’s hide with a bolts of lightning that struck down multiple times across his form in a split-second. A loud roar of pain and anger erupted from the demon as it began to move at speeds far beyond that of something it’s size. The movement caused small sonic-booms as it parried around the lightning before catching the lizard’s throat with a powerful swat. If he couldn’t cut the scales, he could crush it. Holding the blue scales against the sand, a low rumbling growl slipped past the Beast’s maw as he pushed the full weight of his giant form against the dragon’s neck. The sound of bones cracking beneath brought a measure of relief to Michino as he had never come across a foe he couldn’t simply bite to death.
The it was gone. In a poof of smoke the beast vanished from beneath his paw causing the panther to stumble forward. Then the sudden feel of a strike of something powerful against his right flank. A quick golden eye towards the source caught him what appeared to be a Nomad woman, clad in the same kind of hides that Michino wore to repress a chakra signature. In her hand was a giant club that she reared back and began to strike with again. This time, she, hit chakra smoke. The Nomad was stranded in the air for a brief moment of confusion before gravity took back over and landed her into the stinging sands. There, Michino stood with his raw power shifting and forming to the head of a panther around him, waiting for her. The furious purple energy suddenly absorbed itself back into the man's form, causing his muscles to bulged with power; he challenged her to a proper duel.
The Nomad female stood up slowly, recognizing without words the warrior’s honor between the two. He could have easily struck her down mid-air, but chose to land in the jaded dunes to wait for a proper fight instead. The Toraono had turned from hunter to swordsman in the recognition of his enemy’s strength, with the famed katana he tied to his name still sheathed in his left hand. She took a powerful stance, raising the club over her shoulder as if to hit a baseball and crouched lightly. Her movements alone caused the air to shake lightly. The Beast gripped the hilt of his weapon, shifted his right foot back against the sands and crouched as if getting ready to sprint. A crack of thunder roared above as a storm created from their chakra clouds began.
The Toraono vanished. She swung.
Before her swing, a large portion of desert and ground exploded away. Then blood sprayed from the female’s neck - a perfect strike on her carotid artery. Weakness filled her limbs instantly as the world blurred into darkness. The club left her hand and buried its weight into the sands before she fell over to the sound of the swordsman sheathing his blade. A heavy sigh left his lips as he turned. A look of disappointment was etched there without a doubt as the man who sought a beastly challenge was once more met with the hubris of human war. It was information for the village though. The Nomads were contacting dragons, making pacts that hadn’t been made in over thousands of years to combat the shinobi. Only a handful of the soldiers within Suna could have managed to take the Nomad down, and though the taste of war left a bitter note in his mouth, Michino was glad it was he who she faced, and not the lesser powered soldiers that were currently already in the field.
Sighing, the shinobi turned and left the body to whomever was watching. He would not dishonor the Nomads by taking one of their greatest warriors to be experimented on by the likes of his brother or Akkuma.