Wind and Lightning Clash! Ryu vs. WM!
AN: This chapter was written by windmaster324 and edited by me.
The wind whispers softly as it blows across an open field with a few scattered boulders and a forest ringing the whole field. This field happens to be one of the few training grounds not often used in Konohagakure no Sato. It is a perfect ground for any kind of training except for water jutsu as there is no water. However, it is so far out on the village limits that almost no one uses it; making it perfect for the match about to be held on it today.
On one side of the field we find Ryu. He wears a pair of black baggy BDU's with a yellow stripe running up each leg along with a pair of combat boots. He sports a pure white long-sleeve kakashi style shirt without the mask. The shirt has two lightning bolts crossing each other over the space where the breast pocket would be. On the back is a full back image of a black storm cloud with a single thick lightning bolt shooting out of it. He is wearing a pair of leather gauntlets that have streams of metal inlaid into them in order to conduct electricity. He has shoulder length black hair with blonde tips.
On the other side of the field we see his opponent, Windmaster, more commonly known as WM. He sports a pair of faded blue jeans over a pair of brown hiking boots with steel toes. He wears a dark red open flannel shirt and a fishnet shirt on under it. He also sports a pair of leather gauntlets but without the metal in them. He carries a coil of rope, a lasso, on his waist that when chakra is channeled through it, can become a length of chain with a spike on the end. He also sports a small foot long metal carpenter's mallet that when chakra is applied, can grow into a four and a half feet long war hammer. Finally, he has wavy red hair pulled into a short pony tail and blue eyes hidden underneath a leather cowboy hat.
These two are the best of friends. They have been friends since they were kids. It was a year ago when they last saw each other when Ryu lost his job at Karasu no Konoha Studios. Yesterday, he was able to return and save the show for WM. Now, however, Ryu's former boss, Itachi Uchiha, has stated that if Ryu wants his job back, he will have to participate in a full out spar with WM and show Itachi his skills. This brings us to this field.
"I guess it's come to this, huh WM?" stated Ryu.
"Yeah, I guess it has. It'll be fun though. I've waited for you to return so I could see how strong you would become." replied Windmaster.
"That's true; I've wondered how a clash between us would end for a long time now, even before I gained my new skills. Now we'll get to see who truly is the better fighter between us."
"Alright, you two. Enough chatter. Let's get this fight on the road," stated Itachi, "I'll be referee in this match. This is a full out fight between you two to see if Ryu truly has the skill to earn his job back. Fighters ready?"
"As I'll ever be," replied WM.
"Lets do this," said Ryu.
"Alright then. Evaluation match between WM and Ryu..... HAJIME!!" yelled Itachi as he sunshined into a safe area at the edge of the forest.
Both Ryu and WM immediately dropped into their respective taijutsu stances. Ryu's stance was that of a low and wide stance. His legs were spread a little more than shoulder width apart and were bent at the knees. His hands were fisted with the middle knuckle on each middle finger was positioned out in a jab while his arms were crossing each other over the forearm.
WM's stance however, greatly resembled that of a mantis. His legs were slightly bent at the knees and his arms were held loosely in front of him. However, his hands were not fisted like Ryu's, rather the pointer finger on each hand was pointing out and down while the rest of the fingers were coiled together.
"What style is it that you're using Ryu? I can't say I've seen it before." Asked WM.
That would be because it is a style not from this land. It is called, I believe, Hei Hu Quan, or the Black Tiger Kung Fu. It is perfect for my lightning style since it relies on fast, never ending footwork and rapid, multiple punches and kicks for maximum damage. Explained Ryu. "However, I find myself at a loss as to what your style is as well? In all the time we've known each other, I've never seen you use more than basic stances that any taijutsu user needs to know. Questioned Ryu.
That's because I was still learning. I mastered this style about two years ago. However, I have not had need of it until now. I want both of us to give it our all and so I will use my style, the tanglangquan, the praying mantis fist. My style, like yours, utilizes fast footwork to keep my upper body moving. I focus on diverting opponent attacks, followed by rapid circular whip attacks to the core and vital spots. My style is perfect for a wind specialist such as me with its diversion techniques and rapid unstoppable attacks that bend around the opponent; each aspect of the style so representing the very element I love. Informed WM.
Well we shall see how it fares against my Black Tiger style and my lightning abilities. Now LETS GO! Yelled Ryu.
And with that they were both off like a shot. True to their styles, they both utilized speed and footwork, hence why they had closed the 100 meter gap between them in under two seconds. They clashed with an explosion of air. Ryu punched forward with a signature knuckle buster punch while WM utilized his own style's signature move, the praying mantis hook, to deflect the knuckle buster to the left while he followed up with two rapid jabs to the chest. Ryu, seeing this leaped upwards and tried to nail WM with two rapid aerial kicks. However, WM anticipated that, and falling forward into a handstand, did a full 360 whirlwind kick to knock Ryu's kicks to the side. They both righted themselves and turned to the other. They both suddenly grinned at each other and disappeared and clashed again in the middle of the field.
They continued to clash this way for another two or three minutes, each time reappearing when they cancelled each other's moves. For those able to follow the action, only Itachi at present, it was a sight to see. Ryu would constantly back peddle or flip away from attacks while his hands and arms seemed to blur with the speed of his punches. WM, however, would not let up either. His fast footwork allowed him to spin around Ryu's attacks and follow up into the signature whip like attacks of the praying mantis style, utilizing his whole arms and legs sometimes to deflect blows and land devastating damage to the core of Ryu.
Finally, after about three minutes, there was an explosion of dirt as both fighters launched a kick at each other's face and sent them flying to opposite ends of the field, both smacking into a tree and lying stunned for a second. They both then shakily stood up and grinned to one another.
"I must say, your good my friend, very good," praised Windmaster.
"You too buddy. I haven't had to work this hard since I finished my training two months ago." stated Ryu. "Let's say we take it up a notch."
"Yes, lets."
While this was going on, Itachi was hidden in the forest watching the battle and he couldn't help but be impressed. "Well, both Ryu and WM are pretty strong in taijutsu. Even I would have some trouble keeping up with those styles without my sharingan. However, it takes more than good taijutsu to make it as an employee of Karasu no Konoha Studios Ryu. Let's see what else you can do." he muttered to himself.
As Itachi talked to himself out of range of the two fighters, they began to summon their preferred weapons. Ryu pulled out a scroll and, after biting his thumb, swiped blood over it. In a poof of smoke, an eight foot long, wicked looking spear appeared. The shaft was solid black with a jagged yellow line spiraling around the shaft up to the tip that looked just like a massive lightning bolt. The tip of the spear was about two to three inches long and was made of gleaming silver and, if you looked closely, you could see a small spark jump from one side of the tip to the other.
Windmaster, on the other hand, had reached for his belt, and the lasso that he had strapped there. After pulling it off, he snapped the rope out while channeling chakra into it. As the rope stretched and lengthened, it began to morph into a slate grey length of chain, about seven feet long, although with more chakra, it could extend further. While this it might not seem as much of a weapon, it was the additional features that gave the chain its lethality. There was a six inch steel spike attached to the end of the chain that even appeared to have dried blood stains on it. In addition to the spike, there were other smaller spike on every third chain link or so after the first two and a half feet of chain. This small spike, when motionless, might not be much of a threat, but when the chain was spun, or wind chakra was channeled, they became deadly.
"What is it with you and that lasso of yours, you crazy cowboy, first rope, now a wicked chain, you into BDSM or something?" deadpanned Ryu.
WM's eyes darkened and he scowled for a moment before smirking. "Oh and I suppose your any better you Wally West wannabee, what with all the lightning symbols and that massive spear. You trying to compensate for a lack of something, hmm?" sneered WM.
Ryu blushed brightly before yelling back, "No, I just happen to favor a spear as a weapon. But enough of this banter, let's see who's weapon is better, you and that chain, and that beast of a hammer, I know you have, or my spear."
"Fine, you're on," grinned WM. And so, Once more, the two friends clashed. Ryu quickly closed the distance between them and jabbed his spear forward at WM. However, he only hit air; literally, as WM used his signature Demon Wind Teleport, which is his more advanced Shunshin jutsu. Another gust of wind later, and WM reappeared at the tree line, spinning his chain above him. Ryu turned quickly, sensing WM's release of chakra, only to come face to face with a speeding spike surrounded by a wind blade. He blanched and quickly jumped up, the chain passing a few inches below him, just enough to dodge the wind. Ryu then spun his spear and slammed it down on the chain pinning it to the ground. He landed on the ground, avoiding the still swirling wind chakra, and charged at WM.
Windmaster saw the charge and growled. He reached to his belt and pulled out his hammer while channeling chakra to it. The handle instantly lengthened to about four and a half feet with white lines and swirls decorating the black metal shaft. The head of the hammer morphed into a ten inch wide rectangular hunk of steel with the same white lines running over it. Finally the shaft of the hammer extended past the head into a four inch spike between the two halves of the head. This entire transformation took only a split second, allowing WM to charge at Ryu while retracting the chain with his free hand. The two met again in the middle of the field, hammer meeting spear shaft. Ryu switched his grip to that of a staff and began to swing the spear around him while trying to slam it down onto WM However, WM had the advantage of a more maneuverable close range weapon and was therefore able to deflect the blow to the side and slam the head of the hammer into Ryu's chest, sending him rocketing backwards into another tree.
Ryu slowly climbed to his feet and looked across the field at his best friend and rival. WM looked back as well and both were panting, but they couldn't help but grin.
"You're pretty good with that spear, Ryu. If I hadn't had so much practice with my weapon of choice, I'd probably be in your position right now," panted WM.
"Yeah, I knew you were good with that hammer and chain, but not this good. It's taken everything I've got just to keep up with you right now. It seems I still need more work with my spear."
Don't worry about it man. It took me a long time to get as good with my weapons as I am today. Keep working and you'll get better. But now, let's fight the way we both were born to fight. Fists, feet and steel are all well and good, partner, but we both know that our respective strengths are our elemental ninjutsu," smiled WM.
"That's true, my friend, even before I left the studio, I was still a ninjutsu specialist, only now I have a more specialized ninjutsu style."
"Alright, enough talk you two, get back to the fight before I go Tsukiyomi on your butts" growled Itachi.
"Yes, sir," they both yelled before speeding through handsigns. They both finished their respective seals at the same time and yelled out their jutsu.
"Lightning style: Twin Thunder Bolt"
"Wind Style: Massive Great Breakthrough"
The two jutsu collided in the middle of the field, a massive gust of wind from WM's palms, and two lightning bolts, one from each palm of Ryu. The resulting explosion through up a cloud of dust and debris that shielded them from each other. As the dust began to clear, Ryu looked around but found that WM had disappeared. Then from above, he heard a cry of "Wind Style: Harpy Talon Dive."
He glanced up and blanched as he saw WM falling from the sky with harpy wings made of wind on his back and his left leg extended out, covered in wind in the shape of talons. Ryu quickly leapt back as WM crashed into the ground right where he was previously. Before the dust could settle, Ryu sped through another series of seals and called out its name, "Lightning Style: Fist of Raijin," as electricity began to course through the metal embedded into his gauntlets, basically turning his forearms into generators. He then slammed his fists together so that the electricity became concentrated on his right arm. Once the technique was complete, Ryu charged toward the dust cloud.
Meanwhile Windmaster heard the shout and smirked. It seemed Ryu wanted a close quarter ninjutsu clash. Well, he'd give him one. He sped through a quick ten seals and then slid his right palm from his left fingertips up to his elbow. When finished, a swirling cone of wind encased his left forearm. "Wind Style: Vortex Drill," whispered WM. It was at that point that the dust began to clear and so WM began to charge at where he knew Ryu to be. As he emerged from the dust, they both spotted each other and smirked when they saw their opponent's jutsu. They dashed toward each other and brought their jutsus forward and clashed them together. They struggled against each other until the jutsu's began to collapse, so right before they exploded the two canceled their techniques and jumped back. Ryu sped through another series of seals before WM could react and launched a single massive thunder bolt from his hands at WM while calling out "Lightning Style: Zeus Cannon."
Windmaster looked up at the crackling and smirked before conducting his own set of seals and yelling out, "Wind Style: Fuji-ta Counter." The single bolt of lightning slammed into an F-5 Tornado that suddenly whipped up in front of WM. After struggling for half a second, the lightning bolt was spun around the tornado and shot back toward a wide eyed Ryu while the Tornado dissipated. Ryu, too stunned to move, was struck by the bolt and screamed, until his body sparked and exploded due to the contact of the bolt.
"Crap," muttered WM, "a shock clone. But then where is..," before he was cut off by an electrical current. Ryu had snuck up behind WM and nailed him with another fist of Raijin. Ryu smirked, thinking he had the upper hand, that is, until WM dissipated into a gust of wind.
"Damn, vortex clone. I always did hate that move," grumbled Ryu as he panted from the strain of that last technique. He was getting tired and he had to bet that WM was too. Suddenly he saw WM appear on the far side of the field and so he appeared as well.
"You've gotten a whole lot better Ryu. I haven't had a fight this good since the time I accidentally shredded Jiraiya's research notes," chuckled WM.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. This is the best fight I've had since I stole Yugito's sushi while I was passing through Kumo. Man, that was one angry kunoichi," cringed Ryu.
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting wiped; won't be able to continue much longer," stated Ryu.
"Yeah, same here. Whadda ya say, we finish this with are strongest jutsu?" asked WM.
"Sounds like a plan. Just so you know, I created this jutsu for this very fight," Ryu said.
"Heh, well I'll have you know, that I've never had to use this jutsu in combat and was saving it for this fight as well," laughed WM, "Lets see who is truly stronger. Give me your best shot."
"I intend to," spoke Ryu and with that they both sped into hand seals once more. The frightening aspect of this clash was the sheer number of seals that each combatant was performing. They had been forming seals for almost two minutes and weren't even finished! Finally, they finished their hand seals, and with all confidence, yelled out their ultimate jutsus:
"Wind Style: Terror of the Sky!"
"Lightning Style: Aztec Death!"
The clouds began to whip up into a storm as these two massive jutsu were released. The first reaction came from Ryu's side as lightning began to crackle above him before it condensed and slammed into the ground behind him in one massive bolt of lightning. When the smoke cleared, the lightning could be seen taking shape. Had anyone been part of the audience watching the fight, they would have run for cover at the sight of a fifteen foot tall skeleton made of lightning behind Ryu. The skeleton wore nothing except for a feathery headdress, similar to that of the Aztec priests. He did however; carry a spear almost as tall as him. This manifestation of Ryu's jutsu might have frightened anyone else, but not WM. Almost the instant that Ryu's jutsu finished, the wind that had been gathering formed around WM into an F5 tornado, shielding WM from view. However, the tornado soon vanished into the clouds above. But before Ryu could even raise an eyebrow, dozens or even hundreds of gusts of wind burst from the clouds and surrounded WM. When they stopped moving, Ryu was able to see that they were all in the forms of several species of birds.
"Like it Ryu, I've never shown this technique to anyone. It uses up a massive amount of chakra, even for me, but in return it manifests the very spirit of the sky into her mortal avatars, the raptors of the earth. I may not be able to move while using this jutsu, but with each of my avian gusts serving their own purpose, I can't be beat," WM calmly stated.
"Not bad, WM, but don't count me out yet. My jutsu may not have as many separate parts as yours, but it is just as powerful. During my travels I came across a few ancient manuscripts that described an ancient warrior civilization. In one of those texts, it mentioned their gods, and wouldn't you know it, one of them embodied lightning. My jutsu calls on that very god, Xolotl, to fight for me. As you can see behind me, like the very lightning I control, he will bring about your end in a flash. Now to show you what both he and I have got. Thunder Clap."
The great skeleton behind Ryu rose up and slammed his skeletal palms together, and much to the shock of WM, a vertical wave of lightning was released at him. However, with a wave of his hand, a few of his birds, in the shape of albatross and ospreys, flew out to intercept the wave. Under the stunned watch of Ryu, the birds absorbed the energy of the wave, and glowing, flew towards him. But Ryu had a counter of his own. The ribcage of Xolotl broke off and formed a barrier in front of him just as the birds hit and exploded against it.
Ryu, shocked, yelled out, "what the hell was that!?"
"That, my friend, was the power of the osprey and albatross part of my jutsu. You see each of my birds have a different specialty. The albatross and osprey are able to absorb the energy of any ranged elemental attacks and then kamikaze themselves against you by blowing that energy up. So, I'd be careful if I were you," grinned WM.
"I can see that,
however, I'm not out yet after just one move," smirked Ryu as the
Xolotl slammed his hand down onto the ground, and when he pulled
back, ten hounds of different species made of lightning stood there.
With a wave of his hand, Ryu sent them charging at WM.
"That won't work Ryu. Not with my avian army." And with two waves of his arms, a flock of vultures flew down to intercept and destroy the hounds while another flock, this time of eagles flew straight toward Ryu, this time flying around and through the ribcage barrier. The birds began to peck and slash at Ryu while he couldn't move due to his jutsu. However, WM was not unscathed either. While his vultures had taken out nine of the hounds at the cost of them, one hound, a very annoying Chihuahua, had gotten through and was able to score a few hits on WM as well before an army of pigeons destroyed it.
Both fighters were now injured, however, WM was able to recover first and commanded another flock of eagles to attack the head of Ryu's skeleton while another flock, this time of hawks and falcons, was ordered to dive bomb Ryu. Meanwhile, seeing this, and knowing that without his torso, Xolotl was incapacitated, he commanded the ribcage shield to return and for Xolotl to move in front of him in order to block most of the falcons while defending against the eagles attacking his head. And so it went that Xolotl smacked away the birds with the shaft of his spear while they slowly chipped away at his lightening bones. Ryu meanwhile was able to block most of the hawks and falcons that attacked him and countered the rest with more hounds created from a bit more of Xolotl's energy.
Windmaster was also striking out at even more hounds that had been sent at him. His birds were doing a great job at defending him and lashing out at Ryu, but occasionally one or two would get by and shock him. Finally, there came a lull in the animal clashes. During this time, Ryu and WM were able to get a good look at each other. They were both covered in dirt and scratches; Ryu had several deep lacerations on his limbs while WM's limbs were occasionally twitching due to the excess electricity that hit them. They glanced each other in the eyes and grinned.
"It seems even after all that, we are still evenly matched. Dang, and I was hoping I'd have ended it by now," spoke Ryu.
"Don't worry about it Ryu. You've put up a great fight. I haven't been pushed this far in a long time. You've learned your skills well, my friend. After seeing all this, Itachi will have to take you back on the crew. But before that, what do you say we end this. We both are tired and I've only got enough for one more move. Luckily, my Terror of the Sky Jutsu has one final attack," declared WM.
"Deal, WM. I've only got enough for one more move as well. Let's finish this, partner. One final clash, winner take all?" asked Ryu.
"Agreed," said WM.
And so, with that, they both channeled every bit of chakra they had left into their respective jutsus. They both knew that they would be feeling every bit of this in the morning, but they weren't ready to give up. And so, the final forms of their jutsu were revealed with their offerings of chakra. Xolotl began to dissipate until he was nothing more than a single bolt of lightning that was absorbed into his spear that was left behind. The spear then grew to massive proportions, becoming almost twenty feet in length.
Meanwhile, the remaining birds around WM, about half of what he started with, began to swirl around him and then fly up into the clouds above. WM then called out to Ryu, "Prepare yourself my friend, your final form may be that spear. However, mine happens to be one of the deadliest birds to ever grace the skies above. Behold, Wind Style Summoning: Ancient Storm Wing!"
It was at WM's call that a massive gust of wind flew down from the clouds and hovered behind WM. It was revealed to be an Argentavis Magnificens, or Giant Teratorn, the largest flying bird to ever live.
"Impressive Windmaster. You truly live up to your name. My final form has no name, but it remains powerful all the same. I can feel it, WM. This clash will show us who truly is the stronger shinobi," grunted Ryu.
"Yes, it will. Now let's finish this once and for all. Go my Teratorn."
"Go, my Xolotl Spear."
"FINAL CLASH!!"
At their master's calls, the Teratorn and the giant spear charged toward each other, time seemed to slow and they could not help but to look back on the time they spent together, fought together, and against each other. As time returned to normal, and the two jutsu collided and exploded against each other, lightning versus wind, both Ryu and WM couldn't help but grin at the strength that the other showed. Even as they were blown back by the explosion, and slammed into two trees, they never lost their grin. As they lay on the ground, they both were able to look up once again at each other, and their grins conveyed their unspoken message, we fought, we struggled, we drew, but throughout, we never lost faith. It's good to have each other's backs again. Welcome back Ryu. Thanks WM. And with that, they both collapsed unconscious, but still grinning.
Slowly, as the clearing quieted, soft footsteps were heard as Itachi reappeared on the scene. On the outside, he appeared normal. However, if one was able to peer past his emotionless facade they would see pride and confidence due to the fight he just witnessed.
"Well Ryu, you truly have grown. You've become strong, and even I wonder how I would fair against you. Both you and WM showed that you have what it takes to be a part of Karasu no Konoha Studios. Welcome Back."
And with that, he created a shadow clone and, picking up the two boys, began the trek back to Konohagakure.
However, little did he know, that soon he and his crew would be hard pressed to monopolize the television market? For someone else had discovered what Itachi was up to and they would not stand for it. No sir, they would not. They began to form their own plans and before long they were ready to compete against and destroy Karasu no Konoha Studios. The only sign that they even existed was a simple logo. A logo that had anyone seen it and understood the meaning behind it, would have shook in fear. For as the clouds parted and allowed the light to shine on a large building in isolation, the logo was revealed; a large red cloud with three purple rings inside of it while three tomoes were encased within them. What does this mean for Itachi and his crew? Only time will tell.
AN: Tell me what you think.
