[color=lightblue][u][center][h2]Sangetsu Hozuki of the Blood Mist[/h2][/center][/u][/color]

[center][@Pirouette] [@Odin] [@Savato] [@Spanner][/center]


A trickle of blood splattered the ground, oddly quite a darker shade of crimson than normal human's blood, coming from Sano's abdomen as Rumia entered the fold. Perhaps she was expecting to see more blood from a direct hit? His hand seals were interrupted, as his eyes would bare down upon her, his bloodlust focused on her now. A wide grin would appear across his face, he was all too pleased that a Shinobi was daring enough to engage him so close, despite that the young girl thought that maintaining a two meter range were enough distance away from a man whose arms were about half of that distance alone. Now that she had seen him up close maybe now she would realize the stature of the man towering before her. 

As the shark took the blow, he would feel it begin to rain, although this was no ordinary rain. As it hit his skin it itched for a moment before being absorbed into his body. He did not even look in Kyoka's direction. The source of the attacks was of no concern to him at the moment. They were but tadpoles swimming in the ocean of an apex predator. Perhaps they thought they were actually gaining some ground on him with their uncoordinated assault? No, the fact of the matter was simply this.. Sano likes to play with his food. It was always a habit his fellow Akatsuki loathed about him. He could never just finish off his prey and get it over with. Rumia reminded him of this fact, and so he resolved to show them a proper display of just where the stood when facing him. 

He flung one of his hulking arms out to the side, slicing through the Skilled Acid Technique as he absorbed it as well. He could smell the difference in the rain, he knew it was no ordinary water technique from the jump. With Samehada fused with him, they stood little chance of defeating him with Ninjutsu going forward. Rumia had quite the bold strategy, but in the few precious moments following her assault, Sano would prove to her just how dangerous of a tactic that was with a man of his caliber. 

Sano thrusted an open palm aimed directly at Rumia's chest in simultaneous fashion while his other hand was cutting through the Skilled Mist. This was Sano's signature move, his Hadoutsuki. The attack would send a shockwave through the air using the water vapor as a medium, the more moisture in the air, the stronger the blow. And with several Water Release techniques having been used in the direct vicinity, this technique was capable of rendering enemies unconscious with a direct hit. The danger in this technique lies in its inability to be detected, as the water vapor in the air is still unseen as the shockwave travels. Only a sensor would be able to distinguish its true nature, however by using water as a medium in an evironment predominantly filled with air, the technique would take about half a second longer to reach Rumia, although this piece of information would only be useful if she had the means to see what Sano was really doing behind this simple punch. 

The attack was not lethal. Had she allowed him to form his dome of water he would have had the necessary medium of complete submersion in order to deliver a lethal Hadoutsuki. However, the Buffer Bubbles were a factor. Kyoka had unknowingly intensified Sano's attack, using the moisture of the bubbles as a medium for his attack and empowering it even further. This was his plan at first, to kill one of the Chuunin off the bat and watch the others scatter for a nice chase. But this one who attacked him head on, to try and cleave the beast in two? Sano would like to see her snake-like tail aid her against an invisible attack of this caliber. No, the shark was not going for the kill at the moment. This was a statement of prowess and dominance. They needed to realize what they were up against here. However Sano only made this statement because he commended their valiance, especially the girl with stones big enough to attack him head on. And it was this valiant effort that he would crush their spirits with. 

Just as Sano would repel the Skilled Mist and launch his Surge Thrust, the earth around him would begin to rise and form a dome around him. "[color=lightblue]Doton: Dochu Senko![/color]" The shark dove into the ground as the earth raised up, and by the time Sakana leaped to the top of her dome and prepared to execute the brilliant plan of drowning a fish, she would find no one within the dome. 

He would emerge from the earth suddenly beneath Kyoka's feet, his massive jaws wide open and attempting to viciously chomp down on her left ankle. Should he succeed he would begin thrashing his neck back and forth to tear apart his prey in a most brutal manner, but he half-assumed he would be unsuccessful and either way as he emerged he would be forming a single handle seal.