DISCLAIMER: Naruto is owned by someone who is NOT named Chaz…
Chapter 3 is finally here!!
Sorry for how long it took everyone; I'm in the middle of uploading the already-written chapters of an original fiction onto and working out the plotline of yet another story, so any free time I have I split between those three projects. I'm sorry to say that Naruto: The Fourth Clan might end up falling by the wayside. It's too much to work on three separate stories at once on top of reading (both other fanfics and actual books… you remember those square-ish things with paper and ink inside, right?) and doing the mundane, everyday things that have to get done. Basically, if anyone at all out there wants me to continue, let me know by dropping a quick (or long; long is good too) review. Otherwise…
… Well, how about we get out one more chapter (with actual fighting! FINALLY!!) and have you all read it before you decide if you want me to keep going, huh?
"N-no way!" the whiskered youth exclaimed, barely able to keep his voice low, "That's-!"
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!!"
A collective gasp ran through the nearby shinobi as a dozen duplicates of the young black-haired boy suddenly blinked into existence, surrounding the three advancing Rain hunter-nins.
"He knows the Shadow Replication technique?!" Sakura whispered incredulously. "I've never seen anyone but Naruto and Kakashi-sensei use it before!"
"That's a jounin-level skill," Shikamaru added, "and on top of that, it's supposed to be a forbidden skill that only exists in the sealed scrolls kept in the Hokage's personal library." Naruto nodded in agreement, never taking his eyes off the unfolding situation before them.
"Yeah, that's where I learned it from, and Kakashi-sensei copied it from me with his Sharingan."
"B-but then how d-did this boy…?" Hinata stuttered, leaving the question hanging in the air between the five Konoha ninja, just as surely as it was hanging on the minds of the three encircled Rain shinobi in the clearing below. The dark-haired hunter-ninja nervously glanced back and forth between the clones that had formed a ring around he and his two compatriots.
"Hey, Arashi, is this really the Shadow Clone jutsu?" he asked, his voice unsteady.
"Not a chance!" the redheaded kunoichi, obviously the brains of the group shouted back, "Don't loose your head over such a simple trick, Mazui! He's just using regular illusions to try and spook us because he knows he can't win!"
"Is that what you think?" the clone nearest to her asked, a small smile spreading across his face.
"I might use a trick like that," another simulacrum quipped from the side, "if I even knew any genjutsu, that is..."
"But as it stands, I've never had any formal ninja training like I'm sure you guys have," spoke the clone that was closest to the dark haired boy's original position before he activated the jutsu, "so I'm sure my fighting style is gonna seem pretty blunt compared to what you're used to."
"SHUT UP!!" the youngest of the Rain ninja shouted angrily. His rage had seemingly gotten the better of him. He reached inside his jacket and pulled forth both ends of a long, thin wire with over a dozen kunai hanging from it. He whipped it over his head like a lasso for a moment before letting go of one end, sending the sharp knives slashing out in every direction. The supposed shadow clones all ducked or dodged, letting the kunai slip past easily… all except one. The dark-haired replicant to the right of the boy who had launched the kunai was too close to move out of the way. Instead he quickly raised one hand and deflected the weapon with the metal plate on the back of his glove, which emitted a solid 'clang' as it made contact. The three shinobi smiled, still believing that these replications were illusions, and shifted their attention fully to the one that they now knew to be solid.
"Gotcha," the kunai-thrower stated, all trace of his former rage gone.
"Nice job, Kaeru!" the dark-haired chunin complimented, his voice firm and confident once again.
The face of the dark-haired boy went white as the Rain ninja darted toward him, approaching from three sides to close their lethal trap with ruthless, practiced efficiency. Kaeru, who was closest, managed to slip around behind him and drive a pair of kunai into his opponent's kidneys as Mazui thrust forward from the left, slipping his ninja-to between the target's ribs and directly into the heart. The kunoichi Arashi, brandishing the long wooden staff like a spear, planted said weapon forcefully into the small indentation of the dark-haired boy's throat just below the Adam's apple, instantly crushing the windpipe and any hope the victim had of breathing normally ever again. In that brief instant their smiles widened, the belief that they had avenged the village of Nagare bringing them a swell of pride.
Idiots, Captain Karuishi mentally scolded his students for being so hasty, and was not at all surprised when the impaled boy vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind nothing; not even so much as a trace of blood on their weapons. If they'd thought a bit more about it they'd have realized that the Shadow Clone jutsu perfectly explains why he was able to constantly give us the slip. Ordinary clones wouldn't have been able to leave a trail for us to follow.
"W-what the?!" the sword-wielding Mazui stammered, his surprise much more real than the façade of nervousness he'd put on a moment ago to help set the trap. His compatriots obviously shared his sentiments but had no time to discuss their mistake, for each of them clearly felt the presence of the remaining shadow clones leaping in to strike at their unprotected backs.
Arashi managed to turn first, whipping her staff around from left to right in a chest-level sweeping motion that had enough force to knock aside the clone it connected with. Another two came on, each grabbing an end of the staff and trying to wrest the weapon from her hands.
Mazui reacted a little too slowly, thrusting his sword out behind him on instinct to strike nothing but air. A split second later he felt a pair of hands grab each of his shoulders as a clone slid up on either side of him. Smiling, the identical duo pushed backwards and sent him tumbling over a third clone that was crouching behind his legs. He sprawled on the ground, but had enough presence of mind to keep his unsheathed weapon out to the side so as not to accidentally injure himself. The dark-haired ninja barely had time to roll away as the fourth and final clone targeting him slammed its right fist down into the ground where his head had been a moment ago. Mazui turned his roll into an awkward somersault and come up to his feet, ninja-to at the ready as the four replicants surrounded him again.
The youngest shinobi, Kaeru, fared the poorest by far. A quick spin had allowed him to slash his kunai across the leading bunshin and disperse it in a puff of smoke, inadvertently setting himself up. Two of the three clones following the first burst forward through the makeshift smokescreen, mirror images of each other as they each drove a fist into the young boy's face. The double-impact snapped his head backwards and sent him flying at least a dozen feet, crashing back to the earth with enough force that he was certain he felt one or two of his ribs crack. Almost immediately, a pair of hands slapped into the ground to his right. Kaeru managed to glance over just in time to understand that the last clone was executing a low, sweeping kick. Had he been standing upright, the maneuver would have knocked his legs from under him, but as he was lying flat on his back, the top of the clone's foot smashed full-force into the bottom of his chin. His head snapped back again and slammed into the relatively soft earth below. The young Rain hunter-nin went still, all sense blasted from him by the repeated blows to his head and face.
His taijutsu is pretty good, Shikamaru said as he analyzed the young boy's fighting style from the concealment of the high tree's branches. He's not on Lee's level, but he could probably beat any one of us in a no-frills fistfight, and on top of that… The Konoha chunin glanced over at Naruto, whose mouth was hanging open slightly in amazement as wide blue eyes took in the battle unfolding below. It looks like he's noticed as well, the shadow-manipulator thought has he turned his attention back to the fight. The number of clones, the coordination and precision of their movements… this guy has a great deal of experience using the Shadow Clone jutsu. He looked back to his orange-clad friend. He might even be better at it then you, Naruto.
Back on the ground, the dark-haired Mazui found himself desperately trying to keep the four headband-wearing shadow clones that had managed to separate him off from his allies at bay. His single, short weapon was made for assassinations and quick kills, not sustained combat against multiple enemies. A clone darted in at his side, aiming to deliver a quick jab to his midsection, only to be forced into retreat as the slender blade of his ninja-to lined up to slice at any part of the clone that came close enough.
Wait! he thought suddenly, Why would a shadow clone retreat like that?! Why didn't it take the hit to create an opening for one of the others? He didn't allow his internal grin to show as he lined up for an all-out assault against the clone that had just attacked him; the one he now realized had to be the genuine article. He darted forward with a series of stabbing thrusts and short sweeping cuts, forcing his opponent to backpedal and use the metal plates on his gloves to deflect a few of the closer blows. Just a second more… NOW!!
Mazui slashed vertically upward, releasing his handle of his sword near the apex of the swing. His opponent's eyes followed the blade for almost a full second after letting go; plenty of time for the Rain chunin to flash through a short series of hand seals.
"Water Element: Mud Swirl Jutsu!" The replicant in front of him staggered suddenly as the solid ground beneath his feet became over saturated with water, forming a small but fairly deep mud pit that sucked his legs down until his knees were just above the surface. It was soft and wouldn't hold them there for very long, but it threw the boy off balance, which was exactly what the Mazui had been hoping for.
He spun quickly to the left, grabbing the hilt of his falling weapon with an outstretched right hand and pulling it close as he turned. He completed a full 360-degree spin as the short ninja-to in his hand slashed across the chest of the trapped boy. He almost managed to not be surprised when the target exploded in a puff of smoke. Once again, he had fallen prey to the diversionary skill of the Shadow Clone jutsu.
He also once again felt himself being grabbed from behind as one of the clones he'd turned his back on swiftly slipped its arms under his, then bent them up at the elbows and locked its fingers together behind his head, trapping him in a near perfect full-nelson hold. He tried to twist his right arm into a position where he could stab over and behind him with his blade, but a second clone delivered a quick, stinging backhand to his forearm, sending a spasm into his hand and forcing him to drop his weapon harmlessly to the ground. Movement in front and slightly above him drew the Rain shinobi's attention. The last clone of the trio as in the air, leaping towards him with one leg coiled beneath it, ready to strike.
"Nighty-night," the replicant holding the Mazui's arms said as the hands grasped behind his neck moved slightly, forming the Shadow Clone seal and releasing the jutsu. The clone vanished into nothingness a split second before the leaping one's foot collided with his solar plexus. His eyes bulged as he felt his lungs and diaphragm convulse from the impact. Mazui was still conscious when his feet lifted up off the ground, but by the time he crashed back to the grassy surface several feet away, he was out cold.
Of all the Hunter-nins, the redheaded Arashi was clearly the most skilled. She was also much stronger than she appeared, as demonstrated against the two shadow clones gripping her staff when she 'fell' backwards, bracing her right foot against the weapon and using the momentum to throw the clones over her head. She relinquished her hold on the staff, allowing the two clones to have it as they flew away. Still bent backwards and using chakra concentrated in her left foot to keep from falling over, she double-checked the clones hand positions and smiled. A quick hand seal and a simple command word were all she needed.
"KAI!" she called out forcefully. The clones looked down at the staff in their hands as they felt a tremor course along its length, but they weren't fast enough to escape the spring-mounted, razor-sharp curving blades that suddenly flipped out from both ends. The blades passed cleanly through the hands and fingers of both clones, and while the injury was not severe enough to mortally wound a person, it was enough to dispel the jutsu and cause them both to puff out of existence. The remaining clones looked on in surprise as the falling staff landed back in the now-standing kunoichi's outstretched hand. She gave the weapon a graceful twirl above her head before bringing it to bear; the half-moon shaped blades at either end glinting in the fading daylight. It now more resembled a shaolin spade than a staff and it was clear to all present that the woman was a master in its use.
"I never expected you to know a jutsu of this level," Arashi admitted. "You caught me off guard…" the redhead let a tiny smile curl the edge of her lip, "but it won't happen again." The clone in front of her scoffed slightly.
"I don't have to catch you off-guard if you're as lousy a fighter as your teammates."
"Mazui and Kaeru were new recruits into Anrui," Captain Karuishi explained from a few dozen feet away as the remaining clones gathered their full force to surround the kunoichi. "However, you'll find that Arashi is another matter entirely. She is my prized student, and has earned the right to serve as my lieutenant by defeating every other candidate who desired the position, a total of fifty-three ninja!"
"Was that all at once, or one at a time?" one of the clones quipped, reminding the Rain ninja of his distinct numbers advantage. Of the original twelve, six shadow clones now remained, but both Arashi and her Captain knew that could change in an instant. My best hope is to goad him into attacking, the woman thought. She didn't even have to try, for the second she opened her mouth to speak all six of the clones encircling her dashed in for an all-out assault. Contrary to her previous statement, this sudden aggressive charge did catch her off guard, but to her credit she was able to recover from the surprise instantly.
Her weapon went into a spin as she herself began to pivot on one foot. Powerful, well-trained muscles became taut as she whipped the long, sturdy staff about her in an intricate dance that left no openings; no holes where an odd punch, kick, kunai or even a shuriken could penetrate. So fast was the movement that despite the kunoichi's staff having only two blades, it seemed as if near ten were circling around her to create an impenetrable defensive barrier.
The first two clones couldn't stop in time, puffing away as the razor-edged blades sliced them apart, while the others managed to pull back their assault just enough to avoid being destroyed. Arashi pressed her advantage, walking toward one of the clones and bringing the destructive whirlwind with her. The clone backpedaled a few steps, staying well clear of the spinning blades until the kunoichi suddenly leaped forward and broke her near-perfect defensive pattern with a chest level, right-to-left swing of her long staff. The clone smiled as the attack came up just a hairsbreadth too short, but that smile was short lived. Arashi continued forward, following through with her first attack by snapping the back end of her staff around in a quick thrusting maneuver and embedding the half-moon blade into the clone's midsection. It dispersed with a shout of surprise as she turned back to face the remaining three. There was no mistaking the desperation etched on their faces.
"Your Shadow Clones are dropping like flies. I've got a one-in-three chance of finding the 'real you' on this next exchange," she taunted, a sly smile crossing her features. "I wouldn't mind if you wanted to go ahead and make a few more. It won't make any difference in the end." For some reason the dark haired boy in the center straightened up a bit, smiling with an unexpected confidence that put the redheaded kunoichi on edge.
"The three of us," he declared firmly, "are more than enough to take you down right here and now." Before she could even scoff at the absurdity of his claim, they were in motion; all three clones springing into action at once.
The speaker started straight for her, running into yet another headlong charge, with the second falling in right behind. Heh, too easy, Arashi thought. Those two must be the Shadow Clones. The third darted to one side, almost looking as if it was making a break for the tree line, but cutting back a moment later to run directly toward her at a sharp angle to the path of the others. She knew if she ignored the clones and focused on the original she would be leaving herself open. Fortunately, the sideways movement of the third target had put some distance between them, and Arashi calculated that she had just enough time to deal with the first two before needing to turn her weapon on the original.
The effort required to initiate and maintain her defensive spin was relatively large, so Arashi chose instead to strike out normally, bringing her bladed staff up over her head and bringing it down at the leading clone with the intent to split his head wide open. He saw the blow coming but didn't slow in the least, actually putting on a quick burst of speed at the last second. The staff came down hard, but even as it hit Arashi knew something was wrong. At the last possible moment the clone had stopped and bent forward, causing not only the blades to miss his head but allowing the round, smooth wooden staff itself to slap down lengthwise along his back. He was just close enough to the kunoichi that the razor-like blades at the end of the staff hung down harmlessly just a few inches behind him.
Of course! Arashi thought silently. The head-on charge, that quick dash at the end…he was getting inside my attack range! She didn't have time to form another thought as a hand slapped down over her staff, pinning it to the bent clone's back and preventing any attempt to ready the weapon. The second clone had leaped clear over the far end of her staff, using his right hand to steady himself and disable her weapon at the same time, and launched a vicious roundhouse kick with his left foot at her head. Arashi was able to bring her right arm up to block, wincing in pain as she caught the incoming foot in her hand. A split second later she felt something grab her ankles.
The original!! she panicked. She had been so surprised by the unorthodox attack pattern of the first two that she had foolishly lost track of the third one. It had only been for a second, but it was all the dark-haired boy needed to slip behind and effectively immobilize her. Had she been looking forward instead of down, she would have seen the wide smile on the face of the leaping Shadow Clone.
"Gotcha," he said simply, mimicking Kaeru's earlier comment. She jerked her eyes upward as the full scope of her mistakes became clear. Using the hand he had placed on his partner clone's back and Arashi's own strong grip on his left foot, the smiling clone pulled hard, snapping his right foot forward and up in between them for a jaw-breaking chin kick. She let go of the staff and started to raise her left hand up to block, but she knew it was already too late. With her feet held fast and her weapon disabled, Arashi could do nothing but widen her eyes in surprise and trepidation as the sandal-clad foot smashed into her face, lifting her bodily off the ground and tossing her into the air. She flopped back down unceremoniously a few feet away, her vision filled with stars and with a strange pulsating darkness around the edges.
Just after she landed, the clone that had been holding her feet and the one who had delivered the final blow simply vanished in smoke, leaving only the bent over dark-haired boy standing in the grassy cliffside clearing, one hand on his knee for support as he gasped for breath and the other holding the Rain kunoichi's deadly staff, which had rolled from his back when she'd let go of it to try and block his second kick. As Arashi lay there glancing up at the strange boy, her mind drifted along the boundary of unconsciousness.
That… that felt like… one of the Captain's kicks, she thought. The Shadow Clone Jutsu is supposed to distribute the user's chakra and strength… evenly among the clones… Her thoughts trailed off as she regarded the single opponent now facing her. Just how strong IS this guy? It was her last thought before blacking out.
"W-wow!" Hinata quietly stammered, her iridescent-pearl eyes wide in fascination.
"He took down three chunin in a matter of minutes," Sakura whispered, barely loud enough for her four teammates could hear.
"Big deal!" Naruto countered, his voice, as always, just a little louder than the others would have liked. "I could've done it WAY faster than that!" Sakura shushed at him, but once again neither of the still-conscious individuals below seemed to take notice.
"But still, he's really good," Chouji admitted, turning to face his best friend. "He could be the one we're looking for after all, right?" Shikamaru started to nod but stopped himself. "Shikamaru?" the Akimichi boy questioned. The Konoha chunin narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired youth below. Something just wasn't adding up here. Before he could ponder it any further, Captain Karuishi began walking- slowly, purposefully- toward the young man who had defeated his charges. As he neared the boy finally straightened from his bent position, turning to fully face the Rain jounin and bringing the staff he'd claimed from Arashi to bear in a defensive posture. Karuishi stopped a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest. The blonde man sighed lightly.
"I suppose I should be disappointed," he admitted quietly, and the five Konoha shinobi had to strain their ears to listen. "I didn't expect much out of Mazui and Kaeru so early in their training, but Arashi… oh well, it doesn't matter anyway. In the end, I'm glad it came to this." He reached up behind his shoulders and grasped the protruding handles of the curved swords strapped to his back, drawing them forth in a single smooth motion and lowering them to his sides. "Now it'll be all the more believable when we return home and say that we had no choice but to kill you instead of bringing you back to stand trial like we were ordered."
"I'm not the one you're looking for," the youth said, his breathing no longer stressed as it had been a moment ago, "but then, you don't really care, do you?" Karuishi's face tightened a bit at that. "You're not out here looking for justice, you're out here looking for revenge," the boy continued, "and I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I'm an assassin, kid," the tall man said firmly, his voice sounding more like an explanation than a warning. "I've completed more A-rank assassinations than anyone else in my village. Most of my targets I don't even know beyond face or name, and every time I wash the blood from my hands I wonder about them." Karuishi paused, gazing up at the sky for a moment with surprisingly soft eyes.
"Did they all deserve to die? I know they all posed a threat to the Hidden Rain village, at least that's what our leaders decided, but after all these years that's not as much comfort as it used to be. How many of them could have been dealt with differently? How many had families, children, and grandchildren even? How many were good people at heart who'd just made a bad decision somewhere along the line?" He sighed again, this time more deeply, and leveled his gaze on the dark-haired boy.
"It's not everyday that I get to kill someone who really deserves it," he said with stoic determination, "so when I think of all the innocent people lying dead at your hands, you can be damn sure I'm not going to let the chance to kill you myself slip away." The dark haired boy, his eyes half closed, looked down to the ground, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Killing me, whether I'm guilty or not, won't make up for the innocent blood on your own hands, Asano Karuishi."
If the Rain jounin was at all affected by those words, he didn't show it. After a moment of silence had passed, the blonde man stepped back with one foot, settling into a fighting stance one sword held vertically before him and the other out to one side and pointed directly at his opponent.
"Your name," Karuishi said. It was not a question. The boy straightened up, moving aside the bladed staff and stabbing one end into the ground next to him.
"Hanaseru…" he said firmly, "Hanaseru Urana."
It was a name that meant nothing to the Rain jounin, so he only nodded in acceptance. Four of the Konoha ninja hiding in the trees found no meaning in it either, but had they not been so fascinated by the scene playing out below, they might have noticed the sharp gasp that escaped the lips of the fifth member of their team.
Hinata nearly lost her grip on the tree as she staggered backwards a step, her eyes wide and her entire body going rigid in an instant. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart began to pound, not in the way that it did when she was thinking of Naruto, but closer to the way it had when she had been forced to face her cousin Neji during the past year's Chunin Exam.
There was no doubt in her mind any longer. The dark haired boy was the one they were after. He had obliterated the village of Nagare and murdered its inhabitants. He had attacked the Daimyo's caravan on the road north of Konoha and killed most of the Twelve Elite Guardians. The Hyuuga heiress knew this with absolute certainty.
"U-Urana…" she repeated breathlessly.
So whatcha think? Sorry to make all the action fans wait so long for the fighting to start; it just felt wierd to run right into it without setting up the story first.
One small note on the fight: Arashi uses the the word 'Kai' activate her staff, which is translated as 'Release' and is used to dispel the effects of a Genjutsu, but in this case it's just her way of using her chakra to activate her weapon's special tricks.
Review, por favoooooooooor! (I'm sorry about trying to hypnotize you all into it last time!)