[Forced to block, he jerks his sword up to create a barrier for the blade coming down against him. He's so very lacking without his chakra, without his ninjutsu, and it hadn't realized how important those and his eyes had been until they weren't there anymore.
It's just him and his wits now.
The sword is wrenched from his hand, landing blade down into the ground. He quickly drops low and flings himself into a... roll... off to the side...?
Hm. Something barely visible glimmers, stringing from the hilt of the sword to his arm. When he rolls back up to a crouch, he keeps going, trying to loop himself behind Cunning's legs and around the other side.
It's wire.
Not unbreakable, but Sasuke is trying to be quick in raveling Cunning up.]
[It's not an easy victory and maybe Cunning really appreciates that. As it is, the skill level is enough to keep him engaged, watching as Sasuke rolls.
The wire wraps around his ankles and his legs and for a moment, Cunning just...lets this happen? He lets this happen before he almost lazily swipes his sword through the air and seemingly zips off to the other side of the arena out of the wire.]
You should've said no to powers, you know. [And he's quickly running forward again, sliding in for a strike to Sasuke's side.]
Sasuke can do that shit, too, if he had his fucking chakra control! Luckily, he's less surprised and more jostled into extreme caution. His head swivels in every direction until he can get a lock on Cunning again across the arena.
Quickly, Sasuke yanks on the wire, glad he asked Ray to make it retractable. It loosens the sword and brings it back to his hand just in time for Cunning to broach him. He twists the sword and parries barely, slamming his other hand against the flat of the blade to try to lock them into a stalemate.
But Cunning is strong, he has no chakra, and his stupid normie shoes aren't made the same way the ninja sandals are; he starts skidding back across the ground with gritted teeth.]
[Even without using his teleportation Cunning is a skilled enough swordsman who pressing back and refuses to let up. Sasuke blocks him and locks them into a stalemate, but he pulls back enough and strikes again to try and push him back toward the edge of the arena.]
Then what're you waiting for? [A smug tone.] No powers, I'll make it easier. I usually don't use them in combat anyway.
[He gets a small burst of renewed fire, shoves back against the sword, stopping his creep toward the edge of the arena.] I don't want your pity, you bastard. [He doesn't have the strength to go head-to-head with Cunning.
So he relents, skirting to the side and releasing, hoping Cunning's momentum pressing forward will keep Cunning going in that direction. He lets go of the sword with one hand, cocks his entire arm back.
On the sweep by to the side, he tries to clock his elbow into the mask at the side of the head.]
[Perfect. A pissed off ninja is exactly what he wanted and so Cunning doesn't even care about the name-calling or the fact that Sasuke's--
--wait where are you going. Cunning steps forward, but his foot pivots and allows him to remain upright as Sasuke hooks onto the mask.
It doesn't do anything other than probably hurt because it's not exactly a plastic mask, but Cunning's own elbow jabs straight into Sasuke's ribs to force him to relent further.]
Mask stays on. [That's the only condition, it seems.]
[A tingling thrum jumps from his elbow to his pinky when it hits the mask that doesn't budge. He didn't even care if it came off, only that it caused a distraction, but Cunning is quick with retaliation.
He coughs out his grunt, and then he jumps back to put distance between them, hand rising to press over the ache against his ribs. Poor Senri. He's SORRY. It takes a moment or two before he can straighten back up, but he does swing the sword around to guard in case Cunning gets feisty.]
Why are all of you hiding? What purpose is there in concealing who you are?
[He's busy standing his ground and calculating his next move, not quite swinging yet but watching Sasuke's hands and his feet in case that trip wire comes back.]
One of the rules, one of the ways to ensure you're with us because of the ideals. And some of us just don't want to be seen. [A downward thrust and strike follows to punctuate that statement.]
[Sasuke has had a bit of time to recover. He throws up the sword to parry, but spends more time trying to dodge because he now knows Cunning beats him in the strength department right now.
For now, he wants to keep his distance and not be as rash as he could be.]
Not a bad rule. If I had my eyes, you’d be doing what I want.
What, are they hypnotic or something? [Cunning has sheer strength on his side but he's not letting his guard down, watching Sasuke carefully and keeping his sword ready to block in case.] Or are you saying that to try and psych me out?
The rinnegan can control even the Tailed Beasts. The only thing between you and your servantile misery would be the mask.
[He brings the sword around, flipping it over his wrist and catching it again. And then he charges for once, offering Cunning a combo of several mid-level strikes.]
Big words for a little threat. [There's a hiss though because Sasuke's suddenly charging and at least one of those strikes clocks him in the arm. He's keeping up as best as he can, sword pivoting in a very obviously-not Japanese style of swordfighting as he works on stepping out to the side and trying to disarm him again.]
Good thing it's just a test of skills then, isn't it?
[He attacks in a long string, and then he withdraws, making Cunning have to dance with him. Giving a little of his strength and then pulling away before he can get caught.]
Nn--
[He attacks again, but without his chakra, he's getting tired faster than he would have ever been tired. He has no reserves to draw on. The swords hook, and Cunning can easily toss his.
It zips over and lands, but the wire connected to it shines briefly, and he starts scrambling to wind his hand while raising the other arm and preparing to become liquid dexterity if Cunning makes a swing.]
[Of course he's swinging. He's ruthless with this kind of thing, attempting to knock Sasuke back with the flat of his blade now that he doesn't have a sword and he's stepping in close enough to continue forcing him back.
Sasuke can get the wire twined, but he keeps having to dodge back after sliding from the shove. This isn't damn sword baseball!! He can't--stand long enough--to--
Quickly, he dives in suddenly toward Cunning rather than running away, getting rid of the space to move. He raises his arm and blocks the swing by letting their forearms hit, but he doesn't attack. Instead, he leaps up on Cunning's thighs and springboards off, flips, lands several feet away.
With one rough yank, he jerks the wire and pulls his own sword back to his hand, though it does have to go by Cunning to get to him. Don't get cut? Don't grab it?]
Hey! [He is not a springboard you stupid ninja-y fuck!!! Sasuke lands away, and yet Cunning apparently doesn't care or he lives dangerously because Sasuke tries to grab for his sword with the zip-wire and Cunning's hand reaches out to try and grab the sword by the hilt.
Being a god with the power to steal things, this may or may not work.]
The line goes taut, and Sasuke staggers forward just a bit. He pulls on his arm, unraveling the wire, though his hand holds onto what he can of it--shit. He doesn't want to break it... and yet, if Cunning pulls on the sword, he staggers forward more, little by little.]
Despite digging his feet in, the pull is strong enough to get him closer and closer. He doesn't waste energy trying to fight it. Cunning outclasses him in strength and reach, but... he still has his agility. If he can make it count.
He waits until he gets as close as he dares, pretending to be fearful of the outcome, pretending as if he has no aces left.
Once he's near Cunning, he moves. He lets go of the wire with his hand, reaching up with the other to yank the armband off. But immediately upon abandoning it, he flips backward onto his palms and swings his leg leg up to try to either catch Cunning in the chin or get Cunning to make distance.
[There's distance because even Cunning's not dumb enough to catch someone's actively moving leg and he steps back, taking the wire with him and tossing it aside. With the distance between them, he's rushing once again to try and strike as Sasuke regains his balance.
It's a good fight, truthfully. Cunning's going to walk away from this being fairly impressed.]
[There's so little time between his land and balance and Cunning's rush. He's so!! tired!! This is incredibly frustrating for someone normally so strong, running off reserves instead of only fumes.
He scrambles to tuck and dodge. The sword glances off his right shoulder, and he hisses loudly as he crashes along the ground after trying to duck even lower unsteadily. This time, it takes him a bit to start to try pushing himself up to his hands and knees.]
[For a moment, with Cunning not attacking, he tries to catch his breath. One hand digs into the ground beneath him, the other rises to touch his shoulder. When he pulls it away, the palm is bloody.
Damn. Senri.
He looks back up at Cunning. When he stands again finally, he turns to the side to balance his stance.] It isn't over... until you give me the lighter... or you knock me out. [The wind up is sudden and like a baseball pitcher.
Even if it wasn't meant to do any damage, he slings the rock in his hand at Cunning with as much force as possible. But as soon as it leaves his palm, he drops and charges.
[Is it not baseball because Cunning takes the blade and swings like a baseball bat anyway to block the rock. It barely gives him time to catch on to what Sasuke's doing but as the swings come he's tempted to drop the sword and switch to hand to hand. Then again, not having a weapon means being defenseless.
He's keeping up, and this is really over a lighter? For a moment Cunning things before he growls.]
Back down, Sasuke. [It's a challenge, maybe, and the sword blocks again.]
The frustration and exhaustion boils over, and he keeps swinging a few more times before he... just... slows to a stop. He stands there, shoulders and chest heaving, trying to catch his breath, his knuckles white from how tight his fists are balled.
As limited as he is, he still wanted to keep fighting. It felt... familiar, natural. Something he could relate to rather than be surrounded by the people in this place, the rules of this game.
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you: dont make me write a fight thread; me, whispering: i'm sorry!!!
It's just him and his wits now.
The sword is wrenched from his hand, landing blade down into the ground. He quickly drops low and flings himself into a... roll... off to the side...?
Hm. Something barely visible glimmers, stringing from the hilt of the sword to his arm. When he rolls back up to a crouch, he keeps going, trying to loop himself behind Cunning's legs and around the other side.
It's wire.
Not unbreakable, but Sasuke is trying to be quick in raveling Cunning up.]
please have mercy on my soul but also
The wire wraps around his ankles and his legs and for a moment, Cunning just...lets this happen? He lets this happen before he almost lazily swipes his sword through the air and seemingly zips off to the other side of the arena out of the wire.]
You should've said no to powers, you know. [And he's quickly running forward again, sliding in for a strike to Sasuke's side.]
wtf CHEATING
Sasuke can do that shit, too, if he had his fucking chakra control! Luckily, he's less surprised and more jostled into extreme caution. His head swivels in every direction until he can get a lock on Cunning again across the arena.
Quickly, Sasuke yanks on the wire, glad he asked Ray to make it retractable. It loosens the sword and brings it back to his hand just in time for Cunning to broach him. He twists the sword and parries barely, slamming his other hand against the flat of the blade to try to lock them into a stalemate.
But Cunning is strong, he has no chakra, and his stupid normie shoes aren't made the same way the ninja sandals are; he starts skidding back across the ground with gritted teeth.]
I'm not--finished.
POWERS
Then what're you waiting for? [A smug tone.] No powers, I'll make it easier. I usually don't use them in combat anyway.
[But does Sasuke really want to do that?]
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[He gets a small burst of renewed fire, shoves back against the sword, stopping his creep toward the edge of the arena.] I don't want your pity, you bastard. [He doesn't have the strength to go head-to-head with Cunning.
So he relents, skirting to the side and releasing, hoping Cunning's momentum pressing forward will keep Cunning going in that direction. He lets go of the sword with one hand, cocks his entire arm back.
On the sweep by to the side, he tries to clock his elbow into the mask at the side of the head.]
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--wait where are you going. Cunning steps forward, but his foot pivots and allows him to remain upright as Sasuke hooks onto the mask.
It doesn't do anything other than probably hurt because it's not exactly a plastic mask, but Cunning's own elbow jabs straight into Sasuke's ribs to force him to relent further.]
Mask stays on. [That's the only condition, it seems.]
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He coughs out his grunt, and then he jumps back to put distance between them, hand rising to press over the ache against his ribs. Poor Senri. He's SORRY. It takes a moment or two before he can straighten back up, but he does swing the sword around to guard in case Cunning gets feisty.]
Why are all of you hiding? What purpose is there in concealing who you are?
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One of the rules, one of the ways to ensure you're with us because of the ideals. And some of us just don't want to be seen. [A downward thrust and strike follows to punctuate that statement.]
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[Sasuke has had a bit of time to recover. He throws up the sword to parry, but spends more time trying to dodge because he now knows Cunning beats him in the strength department right now.
For now, he wants to keep his distance and not be as rash as he could be.]
Not a bad rule. If I had my eyes, you’d be doing what I want.
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[He brings the sword around, flipping it over his wrist and catching it again. And then he charges for once, offering Cunning a combo of several mid-level strikes.]
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Good thing it's just a test of skills then, isn't it?
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Nn--
[He attacks again, but without his chakra, he's getting tired faster than he would have ever been tired. He has no reserves to draw on. The swords hook, and Cunning can easily toss his.
It zips over and lands, but the wire connected to it shines briefly, and he starts scrambling to wind his hand while raising the other arm and preparing to become liquid dexterity if Cunning makes a swing.]
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Who's going to win this thing? We don't know.]
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Sasuke can get the wire twined, but he keeps having to dodge back after sliding from the shove. This isn't damn sword baseball!! He can't--stand long enough--to--
Quickly, he dives in suddenly toward Cunning rather than running away, getting rid of the space to move. He raises his arm and blocks the swing by letting their forearms hit, but he doesn't attack. Instead, he leaps up on Cunning's thighs and springboards off, flips, lands several feet away.
With one rough yank, he jerks the wire and pulls his own sword back to his hand, though it does have to go by Cunning to get to him. Don't get cut? Don't grab it?]
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Being a god with the power to steal things, this may or may not work.]
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The line goes taut, and Sasuke staggers forward just a bit. He pulls on his arm, unraveling the wire, though his hand holds onto what he can of it--shit. He doesn't want to break it... and yet, if Cunning pulls on the sword, he staggers forward more, little by little.]
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Next step? [It's not even taunting, he's just asking to see if Sasuke can get himself out of this one.]
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Despite digging his feet in, the pull is strong enough to get him closer and closer. He doesn't waste energy trying to fight it. Cunning outclasses him in strength and reach, but... he still has his agility. If he can make it count.
He waits until he gets as close as he dares, pretending to be fearful of the outcome, pretending as if he has no aces left.
Once he's near Cunning, he moves. He lets go of the wire with his hand, reaching up with the other to yank the armband off. But immediately upon abandoning it, he flips backward onto his palms and swings his leg leg up to try to either catch Cunning in the chin or get Cunning to make distance.
Or, uh, catch his leg.]
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It's a good fight, truthfully. Cunning's going to walk away from this being fairly impressed.]
THAT WAS WILD anyhow
He scrambles to tuck and dodge. The sword glances off his right shoulder, and he hisses loudly as he crashes along the ground after trying to duck even lower unsteadily. This time, it takes him a bit to start to try pushing himself up to his hands and knees.]
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Damn. Senri.
He looks back up at Cunning. When he stands again finally, he turns to the side to balance his stance.] It isn't over... until you give me the lighter... or you knock me out. [The wind up is sudden and like a baseball pitcher.
Even if it wasn't meant to do any damage, he slings the rock in his hand at Cunning with as much force as possible. But as soon as it leaves his palm, he drops and charges.
Here he comes, flying in swinging punches.]
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He's keeping up, and this is really over a lighter? For a moment Cunning things before he growls.]
Back down, Sasuke. [It's a challenge, maybe, and the sword blocks again.]
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The frustration and exhaustion boils over, and he keeps swinging a few more times before he... just... slows to a stop. He stands there, shoulders and chest heaving, trying to catch his breath, his knuckles white from how tight his fists are balled.
As limited as he is, he still wanted to keep fighting. It felt... familiar, natural. Something he could relate to rather than be surrounded by the people in this place, the rules of this game.
But he doesn't try to attack again.]
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