Chapter 3
Misako had made the first move.
'Big Mistake.' Hana thought cheerily to herself.
This is where she truly belonged. Fighting at dusk, with no one to judge her, only the cold lifeless metal of her kunai.
Leaping into action, she and Misako clashed in the middle of the field. Hana got a good look at her before they broke apart. She had changed a great deal in the last few months. She was more confident.
'Good.' Hana thought. 'That should make things more interesting.'
cling
Again they clashed, but while Misako concentrated on making her retreat, Hanasaki sent chakra to her feet and delivered a crushing blow to Misako. Misako went flying, which gave Hana enough time to pull out one of her scrolls and summon her sword. She waited while Misako did the same, still flying through the air. Misako managed to turn herself around and propel herself towards Hanasaki, sword at the ready.
Hana jumped forward, a huge dust cloud billowing in her wake. Their swords met, and sparks flew creating an almost explosive effect. As they broke away, Misako transferred her sword to her mouth, and quickly ran through some hand signs, a technique familiar to Hanasaki. Immediately, her sword was engulfed in first, chakra, and then fire.
"Flaming Sword Jutsu!" Misako screamed.
The crowd cheered. This was one of her favorite jutsus, one she used quite often. Not to be out done Hana summoned a second sword and leapt high into the air, silhouetted by the setting sun. She put one sword in her mouth and held the other in her left hand, going through the signs one handed. They were so fast he hand was just a blur of movement. The next moment she fell, landing gracefully after a triple flip, both swords now made of unbreakable ice held together with chakra.
"Ice Sword Jutsu!" Hana screamed in return.
The two glared at each other before Misako ran for Hana, her sword raised and glinting menacingly. Hana jumped out of the way, and pushed her forward, causing her to lose her balance. As Misako stumbled forward, Hana charged towards her, ready to attack. Just before her sword came down on Misako's back, the dark haired kunoichi turned and parried a dark grin on her face.
"Yeah right." She muttered to Hana as she pushed her away. Hana began running back, then turned and charged straight for Misako. Misako did the same and they met in the middle of the field.
A small explosion occurred in the middle of the field. Then another, and another. They were moving so fast that it was almost impossible to follow their movements. The only clear spot was when they would break away after they clashed, during the explosions.
Their swords gleamed in the moonlight, illuminating the dark field. It was clear that both girls had sustained injuries. One of Hana's ribbons was gone, and the hair on that side swirled around her face, which was scratched from superficial cuts. Misako look much more worn. Her clothes were almost shredded, and she was bleeding heavily form a cut above her ear.
"Tired yet, Misa-chan?" Hana goaded while the two caught their breath.
"You wish! And you're not gonna faint of anything, right Hana-chan?" she retorted with a smug grin on her face.
"Nope!" Hana called as she flew back into action. This time, she did more that just use her swords. Using one handed signs, she created a chakra bomb and sent it flying towards Misako. She also released a bombardment of exploding notes, and as Misako countered she summoned a water clone. Using her clone, she maneuvered behind Misako to deliver a powerful kick to the back.
Misako plummeted to the ground, blood gushing from her mouth. She slammed into the ground in a cloud of dust. The crowd gasped, and looked down to see if she was finished. A small noise sounded behind her, and Hana looked over just in time to block an attack from Misako's chakra whip.
"You've improved!" Hana laughed as Misako tried to deliver a kick to her ribs, one that Hana blocked easily with a kick of her own.
"True, but you haven't!" Misako mocked in return as they broke away. The force of their separation was so great, that an explosion erupted from where they had been standing. Cheering and yelling, the crowd rose to their feet, feeding off the brilliant battle unfolding before them. Most were at the edge of their seats, including the Mizukage, who was looking down upon the field with interest.
Both girls were breathing hard, blood and dirt now caked on every limb, bruises creating dark spotted patterns all over their battle worn bodies, and cuts slowly oozing from cuts on their faces and legs. "Time to finish this." Hanasaki thought to her self. Kneeling, Hana pulled out a small scroll from her sash and once again began forming hand signs faster than most could see. Before Misako even realized what was happening, Hana stood up and roared, "SUMMONING JUTSU!"
The ground began to shake, and then a giant cloud of dust engulfed the entire stadium. Shielding her eyes, Misako waited for the smoke to clear, unsure of what to expect. When it did, her mouth fell open in disbelief, while from the spectators, there came an audible gasp.
Towering above her, was a giant polar bear, with Hanasaki standing triumphantly upon its head, smiling down at her rival. "Say hello to Bata!" she laughed, a smile nesting on her face.
A defeated, yet stubborn smile played across Misako's once placid face. She nodded, then raised her sword for one final attack, ready to go down swinging. With one huge lunge, she reached eye level with Hana for a brief moment, and a look of admiration and respect passed from one competitor to the other. Then, Bata let out a stream of water, while Hana blew frost onto it, effectively freezing Misako in place. He face was serene, and the moon glittering off her sword, and the ice gave her an other-worldly appearece. And then all was quite.
"Hanasaki wins! Hanasaki wins!" The announcer screeched, as Hana became aware of her surroundings once more. The announcer's excited voice was soon lost in a roar from the crowd, applauding Hana's win. "Tataharu-san has pulled off another amazing win, perhaps her most amazing ever! If anything, I can not WAIT to see what she cooks up next year!"
Sighing contentedly, Hanasaki sank down onto her knees, still a top Bata. She fell back onto the soft fur of her bear friend, and laughed. It was over.