Those Who Bleed Sand [Private]

he time was 7 p.m. and the setting was a place many miles away from the village of Sunagakure. A distant ruin where time had taken its toll and left may of the gargantuan pillars of rock tumbled over and destroyed. This site of ruins in particular was once home to a tribe of people who dwelled under ground, to avoid the wrath of the sand up above. That said, only pillars resided up above on this level Sachio was stationed. Pillars and inches of sand that covered a stone floor that doubled as a ceiling. The ruins being many years old, those who used to live in them were long gone and dead, that meant no one lived in this area and only on rare occasions like today did people ever come here. This place was even a tourist attraction, for the entrance to reach underground was hidden and had yet to be discovered. So those who were here would have to dwell on this sand covered surface of the ruins that spanned out to occupy fifty square meters of the desert. All throughout this space were pillars of stone, some standing, some fallen over broken on the ground. Space to run around was there for those who wished to move in such a manner, but with the amount of litter from the pillars on the ground and some being upright, one would have to watch their step and constantly weave and wind around pillars while doing so. The pillars weren't perfectly linear in placement, so moving in straight lines for more than at least ten meters wasn't a possibility, that said line of sight would be slightly damaged do to this placement. The pillars alternated in height, but none were higher than fifteen meters. They did share diameter though, this being three meters in diameter, quite thick pieces of stone.

Sachio himself had been present in this area for quite some time now. Giving the sun company due to the sky being cloudless today. The reason he was here was because there had been a bill posted concerning a man who accepted challenges from shinobi living out here. Sachio had come to fight the man and test out a few techniques and tactics, but would not be doing so. Reason why was because the man was already dead and vultures were already busy picking at his body off in the corner of the ruins where scorch marks colored some of the pillars. Such a shame, but Sachio figured he could take this man's place or at least act as if he were the one who posted the bill accepting challengers. This picking of the carcass was the only noise that was notable in this area. Having come to this location in hopes of having a battle, Sachio had prepared himself for an intense bout. On his back secured by a sling he had the Scroll of the Desert, fully packed and stored with Iron Sand and Iron Powder. His unique garb known as the Arm of Destruction covered his body giving him a mummified appearance. His eyes and nose being the only parts of his skin visible. Along with this covering he wore stormy dark blue pants that were cut at below the knees and his dark blue sunagakure forehead protector around his forehead. His garb fit him snuggly and didn't impede movement or vision, nor did was it loose to cause him to trip or for it to come undone during any kinda of action unless he willed it. The sun was to his back casting his shadow 15m in front of him, giving him a degree of notice as to what was occurring behind his back if anything would. One could argue the shadows from the pillars would halt his ability to use the shadows, but he was at the edge of the ruins, so no pillars were at his back. Along with that he was atop a pillar that was twelve meters in height, so he had a fair view of the span of ruins in front of him and a fair span of the ruins in his peripherals. Should something happen behind him, he'd be able to see the shadow on the ground and with him being ever alert he'd surely react given he felt what he perceived with any of his senses deserved a reaction. On his person and in his sealing formulas on the Arm of Destruction he had shinobi tools, the ones on his person being strictly kunai, four of which that were tagged with explosive notes around the handle. The kunai were six in number and three were safely stored on the outer thigh of both of his legs, side by side. They were simply strapped down, not concealed from sight. This meant he could draw them cleanly without harming himself and with shinobi like swiftness. Of the kunai stored in his sealing formulas ten were tagged with explosive tags, leaving ten untagged.

His body placement had him hunched over, knees bent, arms idle but ready, perched on the pillar of stone he called his vantage point and one wouldn't be able to argue that it wasn't. It offered great view of the whole stretch of ruins and again the the sun covered his back. No shadows from behind were currently being stretched from behind him, so if any emerged he'd surely be aware. The winds today were calm leaving the air scorched, luckily Sachio had a habit of staying hydrated and he was sure to stay hydrated during his travel here and during his brief study of the place. During this study he was very aware of his surroundings as he was still on the look out for the one who posted the challenge bill, in fact he was armed with a tagged kunai in his hand. It was during this exploration that took only five minutes of his time did he discover that the pillars were stone and that beneath the sand was stone flooring. This was valuable information to him should he have a challenger. A challenger who'd be met with a brief introduction, before he attacked.

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed prior until not one, but two bodies had phased into Sachio's line of sight. Still as the pillars that surrounded him, Sachio would only move directly downwards. Into the surface of the stone pillar he'd go, inch by inch timing his descent to make sure it wasn't too sudden to alert those who were approaching via foot many meters away from him. They had yet to make it to the actual ruins, so Sachio had stealth on his side, at least he assumed he did. Utilizing his Hiding Like a Mole Technique, he slid all the way through the pillar to the stone surface beneath the sand that cloaked the presence of the ruin's actual surface. Being able to actively feel out the presence of these two, Sachio moved to a position behind them. At this time they were just stepping into the ruins. When he had surfaced he had noticed they were actively looking around and they seemed to be on their guard. Luckily for him he had peeked out only his head and in a slow manner, careful not to alert them. From this position of fifteen meters away he could observe them safely as they cautiously looked about, seemingly seeking out the one who had posted the bill of the calling like Sachio had done before. The only issue as of now was that Sachio couldn't make out their allegiance. If they were Sunagakure Nin, he surely wouldn't kill them, wound and possibly maim, sure, but killing was off limits. He had respect for his fellow shinobi, but those who weren't aligned with Sunagakure could very well end up finding their grave in these very ruins. Sachio's skin anxiously crawled with combat right on the brink, he only needed one more vital piece of information before making his attack.

Lifting his arm that held the kunai out the sand silently, he safely tossed the kunai out towards the ruins that were fifteen meters away from him. The shadow of the blade outstretched in his direction, the duo wouldn't be notified of the blade's visual presence until after it landed with the way things were going right now. They weren't the target however, they were simple being baited to give Sachio a view of their whole body to see if they had a Sunagakure insignia somewhere on their person. An upright pillar about, five meters to their right was the target. As the blade would dig into the aged stone of the pillar, it would simultaneously draw the attention of the two wanders. Prior to the blade reaching the pillar however, Sachio would have sunk back into the sand. This would have happened right after he tossed the kunai more specifically. "Looks like we're not here alone, be on your guard." Sachio had partially resurfaced up to his chest out of the side of a pillar at this time and was surveilling the targets from the side fifteen meters to their left. They were steadily looking around, but with a few other pillars in between them, Sachio's half body went unnoticed. "Maybe we'll get to fight some Sunagakure Ninja after all from the look of these kunai." In Sachio's head that was enough to mark the both of the strangers for death. Sure his assumption could be going a little too far, just assuming they weren't Sunagakure residents from what they said, but Sachio felt he could justify their slaughter if need be from the words they spoke.

Slinking out of the pillar, Sachio safely landed form a five meter drop silently in the sand. His Hiding Like a Mole Technique had been cancelled, so he could traverse the area like any other now. His landing made a light crunch int he sand, but he was still unnoticed. With many pillars hiding majority of his body from his foes, he had a fair amount of time before he would be discovered if he stayed still. For now, he'd just silently stalk his targets from a nice distance. With this tournament around the corner and a title that seemed to promise power on the line, surely killing Sunagakure residents could result in messing with his odds if found out. He'd need to confirm their allegiance first. Forming a single half hand seal with his right hand from the scroll on his back countless grains of black particles began to leak out of the sealing formulas. The volumes of Iron Sand were enough specifically for the jutsu he would use, while the Iron Powder seal was simply released and ready for use, no Iron Powder yet actually out and about. No more hand seals needed, Sachio moulded the Iron Sand into a small platform, about one and a half meters in diameter and half that in vertical length though the bottom was curved. Think semi circle.

Swiftly the platform would move to a position above the two beings who were fifteen meters away from Sachio. In less than a second the platform would arrive and stop above them spreading like a plague from hell set to infest those under its mass with disease. From it's spread boulders of human sized proportions would be birthed and dropped down in groups of three in succession. One immediately after the other, then a two second break before three more fell. When they'd hit the sand one would be able to feel their weight and mass from even three meters away. Such a thing wouldn't happen though, for his opponents were sharper than he had assumed.

Their attention drawn to it, they would be caught off guard surely, but Sachio was planning an assault with this, simply looking for their reaction to see if he could deem them shinobi. "Split!" One demanded and they did so. One one way and the other opposite of the other. What came with them splitting however was a joint attack on the platform Sachio controlled, but wasn't on. A kunai from each, but when the kunai made contact with the platform they detonated making a heavy rain of the Iron Sand spread over the area in streams and not how Sachio intended, making his chakra use go to waste. Sachio found it amusing to watch them waste their energy, but knew it was an understandable response. This response would give Sachio a huge advantage however since his Iron Sand was now spread out and he still had his Iron Powder ready for immediate use. With his foes spread out as well, Sachio would move his hands to manipulate the Iron Sand to proceed towards his foes. All thoughts of identification driven out his mind from the lust of killing and strangling his foes with his recently discovered Kekkei Genkai. The nature of the Iron Sands advance on his foes was in the form of bullet like projectiles. Spread to encompass a five meter diameter at both foes, a pulse of magnetic chakra would quickly fire this attack towards the vagabonds. This was easily a killing technique, meant to puncture his enemies through with a myriad of bullet holes on every fathomable spot on the side of their body that was facing the assault.

Prior to this back when his platform was still in tact, his Iron Powder would have moved to to a position near the whereabouts of one of the bandits. Sachio was unaware the bandit would leap into such an area, but fortunately the bandit did. With his eyes drawn onto the oncoming buckshot of Iron Sand, he wouldn't even perceive the incoming blanket of Iron Powder from his back. Like flies to molasses, the ebon granular iron would envelop the bandit into a cocoon and bind him in place. The Iron Powder being much weaker than the Iron Sand due to its density, the buckshot of Iron Sand would pierce through this restrictive chrysalis and kill the man before he could register what happened.

His friend would bare witness to such a thing as the spines of the gunshot like jutsu would protrude from the black body tight suit that enveloped his ally. Blood dripping messily off the ends of the lower spines, joining the accumulation of blood that had splattered on the hot sand upon impact. This bandit who would live would have only survived due to Sachio's underestimation of his competence. Another explosion tag disrupted the integrity of his jutsu that lacked the amount of chakra it was normally packed with making it fall futile before him. No matter, for his time would come.

Making his presence known, but twenty-five meters away front he survivor, Sachio would weave between the pillars in a casual walk. Iron Powder and Sand flowing around him in a dream like manner as the volumes he just used to slaughter the first hooligan were summoned back into his vicinity. Never once did they block his line of sight from the man who was terrified for his life. "I'm still getting used to using this stuff, so forgive me for being sloppy and having you witness your partner die like that." Iron Powder was steadily being trailed underneath the sand surface hidden from sight, to a positioning all around the bandit as he spoke. With the volumes of the gun metal medium traversing all around his general area in a mystical way, it more than likely wouldn't be witnessed by the shell shocked peon. "I won't fail this time." With that, the ankles of the bandit would be grasped from underneath through the toasty golden surface, by volumes of black. With the initial grip from the Iron Powder on the ankles which would be tight enough to hold a well conditioned shinobi in place, additional tendrils would trail from out the sand like serpents on his body. Their hiss that was emitted from being manipulated by Sachio was akin to that of a cobra as well and their way of assassination would tie into the theme to put a pretty little bow on the project. Around the man's neck squeezing tightly, his arms bound at the wrist, his legs at the ankles, and now his neck. Sachio was satisfied by the choking noise and watering of the eyes that the man had on display for him to perceive. Now only three meters away admiring his work while in front of the man, Sachio used the volumes of Iron Sand that was floating around him to form a tight compact spear. A spear that was able to cleave through multitudes of humans with its density and potential driving force behind it. Just Iron Powder left for his use and all his Iron Sand compacted into this last jutsu, Sachio would use a force of magnetic chakra to propel the spear towards his opponent. It would safely whizz six inches off of Sachio's right hand side into his target's chest cavity, killing him on impact. Nothing other than it's target was in the way of the spear and it would remain such a way until impact. Sadly, upon such a thing, Sachio was awarded not the sound of murder, but the sound of deception and the sight of such a thing too.

A plume of ivory smoke, comical in almost every manner, as a clone was extinguished from the jousting of the spear. Immediately Sachio's heart heated painfully in his chest and his eyes grew wide. Body flushed over with anxiety, the crunch of sand from behind him summoned his immediate attention as he caught sight of the bandit charging him with his hand on a katana. "Die!" From his Iron Powder a claw the size of many full grown men would emerge and grasp the approaching assailant. Only his head would still be visible, the rest of his body in the clutches of this hand of ebon Iron Powder that was applying force enough to crush him and it would. Sachio would make him pay for his act of fooling him, but slowly. Yells and cries of mercy would go unanswered for about ten seconds until eh sound of his bones and skeletal system giving way finally gave him what he wanted. His end. A bloody mess of a human body that looked like someone had popped a grape between their two fingers was left over. The actual internal substance out and exposed, but looking deflated as it's integrity was destroyed and it was reduced to a squished pulp. Blood stained his Iron Sand and Powder, but he didn't bother cleaning it, Sachio felt it gave his art depth and character. The sent of blood accompanying the already heavy iron scent in the air once they were summoned. Back into their respective sealing formulas they would go and Sachio would depart the ruins after retrieving his single tossed kunai. On his journey back to Sunagakure he dwelled on his arrogance and how it had put him in a situation where if one were truly dangerous he could have been killed. He was disappointed in himself, but he wouldn't loath, instead he'd learn.
Word Count: 3,207

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