The Man Known as V Posts

He stood on top of the crowded observatory floor of Raiu Tower, the most popular tourist building in this section of Kumogakure. Hundreds of people walked around; most of whom V greeted with friendliness under the guise of his mask, and some that drew hostile eyes from him for he could tell from dialect and clothing that they were not citizens of the Land of Lightning. After all, spies could run rampant about and the security of the village was in dire need of revisions given the more.... lackadaisical younglings that brushed the dust of the concrete borders with their hipster-looking sandals. But no one really minded the masked man cloaked in black armed with paper and pencil.

V stationed himself along the railings, and found a comfortably support stand in which he could drew. A vivid obsessor over geography, V liked to take this time to map all of Kumogakure. The mountains, the streets, attractions, rivers, buildings. There is no better way for a man like him to capture his beloved village, his beloved home, on a rowdy day like this. V made abstract sketches here and there, penciling a great line with one strike from left to right to illustrate a border, and shading in some landmarks. Of course, he wouldn't dare to publicize this. This is only for use for him, and maybe the Raikage if he needed a map. He wouldn't dare do something that would potentially jeapordize the security of Kumogakure, should his drawing be leaked out to espionage units. No, that would not be good for his home.

"Yess..... like this...." he mumbled, deeply concentrated in his sketching. Of course to an observer, it looked like a crude picture of Kumogakure. V was not talented in artwork, so really the map would look like amateur work to a professional mapmaker, and really could only be comprehended by himself. Still, he would go about, taking note to include the miso soup stores out there at the edge of town, the grand library over our in the west, and the tiny little hill that you could hardly see in the distance. "Mhm....good. This is very good.."

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After a good 5 minutes, V had drawn half of Kumogakure's internal landscape. he would have worked a little bit faster, but he could not help himself but eavesdrop on a conversation between two younglings in the corner that was so near him. Through the drums of his ear, he had been listening on for any distinct dialects that may be foreign to him, so that once that voice approached him, he would turn abruptly and snark at him or her, whoever they are, so that they may not return to this village and V would return to his drawing with peace in mind that he did good for his home. Out the corner of his mask, he noticed the children talking. They looked like shinobi. And if they were shinobi, they were potentially spies. But he had listened long enough to hear that the two of them were normal Kumo shinobi, hence averting his hostility on to another group of people that might draw his senses in. V stood up now, looking around. For some reason, he thought that there may be some crayons around, but dismissed the impulse as sheer stupidity. Looking down on his map, V would dab on a line. "Ohhh.... this is fine..."

V was stabbing some trees, when Raikage Kagirinai walked into the forest clearing. The trees were all bundled up together, so V did not have to move around so much. They were mountain pines, made of a oak that can last for thousands of years. V just inserted his black steel Ninjato in and out of them, with all intention to have someone take a good look at them after he's done. The natural beauty of Kumogakure must be preserved, if they must serve as mere training dummies for the benefit of the people who can take admire their presence. V had a deep correlation with the dark mood of the skies upon Kumogakure, the clouds guide him emotionally and idealogically. Today will be a dark day, and he will be in a dark mood, with a hint of bloodlust. Today, he has been asked by the Raikage to engage in a relatively long training exercise. V is all the more pleased by this, for his nationalistic pride with Kumogakure and his slightly fluctuating respect for the Raikage, are pretty much the only things that brighten up this gloomy little day of his. Still, in order to serve as the Raikage's stepping stone to achieve greater heights, and thus the village itself will get stronger, he must enter a state of seriousness.

He unsheathed his blades, noticing the great Raikage on a rock. He had known the man ever since he returned from the last war more than a decade ago, and served him faithfully ever since. He had also seen Kagirinai Ikazuchiarashi as the human embodiment of lightning in Kumogakure and most likely the only man to ever truly inherit the title of Raikage. The loss of this man will be a heavy injury to Kumogakure in every single way. V had on his mask, although the Raikage had seen his real face a few times back in his ANBU days. He had his black salamander outfit with black ninja leggings, and is fitted with dark green shoes. The Ninjato were attached to his sides for an easy draw. The blue spectral eyes of his mask shone and glared at the Raikage, who would have noticed him walking towards him by now. In Kumogakure, V gave off a sense of tranquility and friendliness, which is a sharp contrast to his usual hostility against foreigners (whoever they may be), traitors, and people that he just plain doesn't like. He was armed physically and mentally. V clapped his hands,bowed before the Raikage, and stood back up.

"Good evening, Lord Raikage", V greeted, the mouthpiece of his mask distorting his voice to give off a raspy, gritty, husk-like sound whenever he spoke. Each of V's breaths and inhales can be heard clearly, amplified by the mask. Some would say he was a creep. "I am so very pleased, very pleased I tell you, that you chose me out of everyone else in this lovely big village of ours to help you. I want to assure you Lord Raikage that I will do whatever is necessary to assist in your training and strength, and hope you forgive me for this plain old fashion way of speaking. If need be..... I shall lay down my life here to help you perfect a jutsu, or properly utilize a style of fighting. I don't want you to think of me as a mere tool, but that is essentially what I am today, you see"

V caught the Raikage's notebook, and simply secured it on his persona. He swiftly took out his twin Ninjato from their sheaths, but kept them attached to him. Now en guard, he is ready to train. V looked at the Raikage carefully, as if mesmerized by the Raikage's electrical chakra. Of course, V is experienced enough to not let himself distracted by all the flashiness and sparks. He looked between the Raikage's eyes, understanding the importance that his role will play in the future. He must aid the Raikage as he refines his techniques and chakra prowess, so that the man will be invincible under the clouds. Invincible under the skies. Invincible under the sun - Ah yes, the dream that ninja, ronin, and samurai alike have sacrificed their lives for to achieve. None has attained that level yet.

The charging of the technique took a little longer than V would have liked. Maybe it was because the Raikage was concentrating more on accuracy and precision that he is taking his time in getting the chakra mechanics and balance just right, but in a real battle, speed and time are necessities. There was a failure here and there, but the trial and error method of ninjutsu experimentation never fails. V, himself, is a long-time practitioner of that training method. He charged his blades with lightning chakra, also refining the edges until it attained its normal level of sharpness. He kept himself rooted, for he had a feeling that he would charge. Maybe perform a surprise attack on the Raikage as he is practicing his jutsu to remind him to keep alert of his opponent. But then again, maybe not.

In the midst his utmost concentration of things, V seemed to have honed in on his reflex skills. Eyeing the Raikage, he kept things that were unnecessary out of his mind, and felt prepared to attack the binding technique that would come to him. In all honestly, he would try to break whatever lightning bind that would come at him. He would push it back and try to suppress it as much and as long as possible. "Poo......." V blew wind through his mouthpiece, which protruded a distorted air sound from his mask, as he waited. And the waiting paid off.

V could see that the Raikage's technique seemed to have found its "Goldilocks" point. It didn't seem to be anything special. Just a lightning technique with a rather simple approach to it. A whip that could restrain people. The moment the Raikage sent it to him, V would rush forward with his right arm already above his shoulder. Pacing through ten meters of distance, V found his timing and swung his blade with great force at the incoming tendril. It was a diagonal slash by right, for V did not intend to slice it head-on at his tip, but just 3 inches below where the tip was. The recoil was relatively strong, V would hold his own against the electrical force that cracks right along the edge of his Ninjato until his arm almost gave way....

V's electrified sword sliced the lightning tendril into two, which almost made him lose his footing because he thought that strain would build up in his arm and make it collapse. V twirled his blades around by the hilt, making two complete circles with it. The Raikage seemed disappointed, but did not falter in commencing the technique. He adopted his rooted stance once more, but this time he was less concentrated. The Raikage was able to execute his technique more effectively this time, which gave V less opportunity to prepare his reflexes and mind. This is all as well. He might be more surprised at the tendril attack, but that is the key behind battle. Quick as lightning both in strike and retreat, catching your opponent off guard and giving less ample time to prepare is common in battle.

But then the Raikage created another Horin tendril, and V increased his grip on his other sword. This is all as well, also, for V is more accustomed to a dual wielding style anyway. Although this time he is more worried about attack strength rather than speed and precision. He returned to his previous distance. Double the trouble requires double the running momentum. The tendrils flew towards him again, and for a second V pondered if he should dodge them. Rather, he kept in his rooted stance, and simply slashed towards the lightning tendrils head-on. V was pushed back a few meters, as he tried to now change their angle of attack. He spread his arms apart some more, so that should he get overpowered, the tendrils would not harm him.

"Grrr........."


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Once more, V had broken through the Raikage's Horin technique. The electrical discharge that amplified his sword's cutting power dispelled, leaving V with nothing but his bare swords. The strain on his muscles was beginning to fade away. "These failures are rather unbecoming of you, if I may say so, Lord Raikage. You see....as I hack down every single one of your sparkly ropes, I find myself increasingly more annoyed having to put more effort into each and every stroke. Please, if you may indulge me so, Lord Raikage, do not falter this time".
V slowly walked towards the Raikage as he were preparing his jutsu. V was fully confident in his ability to swat away the Horin tendril once more. "Again, Lord Raikage? But sir, you have shown me your hand of tricks!" V made a swift uppercut to parry away the Horin, but just as he did so, the tendril, as if it had a life of its own, stick to his blade and wrapped around it. "Ohhhhhh..... I see....so this is the bind that you speak of, my good Raikage."

V stabbed his left Ninjato upon the ground, knowing what is too come next. Using his hand, V caught the swirling left tendril with his fucking hand, allowing the tendril to slice open a cut on his palm. He then wrapped the Horin voluntarily around his hand, making it curl down his wrist. Keeping a firm grip, V then violently pulled on the left tendril, in hope of dragging the Raikage towards him. "Lovely rope I've got here!" But then, V could see the electricity starting to connect to each other from his blade to his hand. Reacting to this, V stabbed his right Ninjato down to the ground and placed his right hand 3 feet besides it, and stomped on the connecting electricity. The tendrils succeeded in forming a single ring to bind targets, but V had prevented the ring from shrinking so that his hand and blade won't come into contact with each other. He exerted more effort in stepping on the Horin ring, making it look as if he were squashing it...


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V was released from the Raikage's binding jutsu so he didn't have to struggle anymore. There was blood on the palm of his hand, but that was quite alright. The Raikage proceeded on to his next jutsu, and V understood that the day will be a very long one. He discarded his scabbards from his persona; getting serious now. V dabbed the blood on his pants - after all, he could get the thing washed out later at the local cleaner's. He lifted the two Ninjato from their stone-posts on the ground, with a bigger grin this time hidden under his mask. "Ohhh....yes.... you are quite right, Lord Raikage, if I may say so. You see....my swords that I'm holding right in my hands as you see here..I have also swung them thousands upon thousands of times in order to IMPALE those who flaunt thousands of their jutsus. Yes, we are in agreement here, sir."

This next jutsu seemed to be deadly. An actual attack, a beam of lightning. V clashed his swords together and rubbed their edges together, creating a steel of friction. It instilled a bloodlusted effect in V's mind, to heighten his endurance and tolerance, because he had a pretty good feeling that he will not be able to tank this next attack without severe burns and such. But his opinion changed when he saw sparks fly the shit out of the Raikage's body, the man becoming a dazzle of deadly electricity. "Lord Raikage?!" he exclaimed in shock. He walked over a few steps, but could see the Raikage regaining his composture. Indeed, had he fully developed that technique and got hit by it, perhaps he would collapse and never get back up. Of course, this would mean that V has to increase his distance in hope of dodging the lightning bolt.

V increased his pace as he predicted that the Raikage would try to finger-bolt him. At the level of speed the bolt was moving previously, V could likely Raiton-time it. But if it were twice or three times as fast, then he would have to a. be on guard, b. predict the path of movement and where to move, and c. create a distance where he can react to that speed.
The Raikage had sent the bolt to the clouds. "Coming down to smite me, eh?" V voiced. He didn't know where it'll come from, so he just kept his eyes on the clouds that were a kilometer or two above ground. Then, he could see electricity building off acros the clouds that are high up in the sky, and that was when he kept his knees bent and rooted. The Raging Bolt came down at him, but because of how well V set himself up, he easily, if not casually, reacted to and ran away from the lightning bolt. After the lightning crossed a hundred meters or so, V already started to run away from his position, and stopped at a good 10 meters before the lightning bolt crashed to the ground, pulverizing the rock......

"Mhm.... very unpleasant, yes, yes...."

V returned his eyes towards Kagirinai after his lightning bolt left a devastating crater. He watched very carefully, pondering, as the Raikage executed his jutsu. In truth, V could maybe replicate at least one of the Raikage's Raiton jutsu after seeing it twice all by himself. Just take some time off in some dark corner of a training field and set everything on fire. Maybe he would have a training dummy with him and mess up a few times before actually working out the kinks like the Raikage is doing right now. V's eyes bounced back off between each time the Raikage sent something into the sky, as if he were taking command of the heavens and the clouds. Pretty. Very pretty. he thought.

The Raikage had fired several lightning bolts into the sky, which hinted to V that he was either going for a multi-directional attack or simply try to wear V out one at a time. Either way, V was already running towards the Raikage, but had stopped short 8 meters when he changed direction to his left and started to run in circles around the Raikage. He did not have the time to counter the jutsu with his own jutsu, although the Raikage's Raging Bolt technique did remind him of his own Nexus technique. But he had allowed the Raikage to do what he wishes, and had to abandon taking the time to charge his own jutsu, and rather proceeded to strain his physical speed and agility to try to avoid as much damage as possible while allowing the Raikage to test out the striking speed and power of his lightning bolts. The moment he turned, the first lightning bolt came down with increasing velocity/momentum, allowing it to miss V by a fair margin. "Sir, sir, sir, you have to catch me first,yes......" he said while prancing around.

He decreased the distance between the Raikage little by little, expecting to get within range of the Raikage right after the fourth lightning bolt, where he'll unleash a light, but fast slash at the Raikage. The second bolt trailed a meter behind him, where he was now 4 meters from where the Raikage was. But then the third lightning bolt struck him right on the heel, interrupting movement in his foot and so he stumbled down, standing on one knee. The last two lightning bolts came down within his general vicinity; the electrical debris electrocuting V. "Gigigigigigigigigiggigiggi" he howled as sparks came out of his own body. He laid flat on the ground, feeling worn out and drained. The Raikage himself would be relatively safe due to the condition of his body, but he also would be near the end of how much chakra he can expand....