Chapter 10: Battle of Broken Bonds

I held on to Naruto's ankle, dragging him into the inner depths of my trap. I let go, jetting back to keep a distance. Performing several hand signs, I say in my mind, 'Water-Style: Water Shark Shotgun Jutsu!' At that moment three liquid sharks formulated around me, then shot after Naruto; two circled around and one would charge from below. Naruto spun around to follow the movement of the first two, but as planned, the third from below collided with him and sent him skyrocketing through the surface. In the air, with the other two sharks leaping up after him, Naruto spun around and used his Shadow Clone Jutsu the send him back towards me; respectively causing the two sharks to collide with the shadow clone. Anticipating what was to happen next, I jetted up towards Naruto at equal velocity. Using one handed sign, I commanded the water to freeze instantly. At the last second, I burst out of the now, lake of solid ice. Smirking, Naruto shouted "Rasengan!" Just as it would seem that he had me, I said in my mind, 'Fake-out tactic.' I then became mist for a second before impact. The transformation was not long, for I re-assimilated as soon as I was just behind an aggravated Naruto. "Too slow," I said to him. Then I whipped around and spin kicked him into the ice, shattering it with the massive impact.

"Water-Style: Infinite Sharks!" As the miniature sharks rained down upon Sakura and Ino, I shouted, "Water-Style: Giant Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!" A much larger liquid shark formed below me. But instead of chasing Naruto, I landed on its back, and drove it around the arena. 'Now is my chance!' But as much as I knew it was a good idea to run, I couldn't bring myself face Kisame-Sensei in utter failure. No… I am going to fight and just take Naruto with me. That way, I won't go empty handed.

Amidst the ruckus on the ground, I noticed Ino and Sakura lending Naruto a boost towards me. "Wind-Style: Rasen-Shuriken!" He exclaimed. Putting both hands down on my creation's back, I say in my mind, 'Transformation.' My shark slowly morphed into a dragon, plummeting towards Naruto in a spiraling fashion. 'Freeze!' At the last second, I leapt from my frozen beast as it crashed into Naruto, jaws open. Even though it was broken into shards, it was a spectacle Kisame-sensei should have seen.

Looking back at Naruto, who was on the ground now, had seemed to struggle to keep his balance. 'Heh, I guess he must have met his limit.' I said in my head. He looked terrible. His face was scratched and smudged, and he seemed about to pass out at any moment. "I guess I'm done with you now…"

Straining himself to speak, he growled, "You… You, jerk!" He coughed. "I'LL SHOW YOU!" Naruto's pupils became slits, and his fingernails were longer, pointier, and animal-like. On top of that, I could see a red-orange, bubbling aura encasing him.

'Uh oh,' I said to myself. 'This can't be good; and yet… interesting. It seems there was more to him than I thought. I never would have guessed that he had this kind of power dwelling within.'

In a flash, Naruto rushed at me on all fours. He raised and arm, pulling it back, and produced his Rasengan; but this one was darker and had that same aura around it. "RASENGAAAAAAN!" At the right moment, I dissipated before impact and condensed back after Naruto ran headfirst into the wall. I would have been destroyed if he hadn't tried to draw back at the last second.

Analyzing the situation at hand, I figured to try something different. I jetted over the pools of water left over by the ice to the other side of the arena; dodging any foolhardy attacks from Sakura or Ino. They aren't really much of a threat anyway, so what do I care?

At the opposite end of the arena, I knelt down. 'I'll try this new jutsu,' I thought. 'I've been waiting to try this out.' This new jutsu I invented is designed to counter any jutsu that involves condensed chakra in the palms of one's hands. This would be my first legitimate test. "It's time." I lowered my left hand, palm-up, just above a pool of melted ice. I held my arm with the other hand as the water steamed up into my hand, forming a translucent orb of water. I heard Naruto growl something in the distance, so I stood up and rushed at him as he prepared his Rasengan and, likewise, rushed at me. Raising his arm Naruto screamed, "RASENGAAAAN!"

It all seemed to go in slow motion; his Raesngan and my new jutsu clashed and became one. Whoever should overwhelm the other is all that mattered now. With his power, I was glad my jutsu was not over yet. "Now!" I shouted. "Water-Style: Aqua Vacuum Jutsu!" It had begun; my new technique was about to be realized. I could feel the power in his chakra as I slowly absorbed it. Lowering my other hand into a striking position, I moved his chakra through my body and out into the palm of my right hand, slowly re-assimilating into the exact Rasengan that Naruto had just tried to use. Reaching back and jamming it into Naruto's stomach with blinding speed, I yelled, "REFLECTION!"

"GgAAAGHH!" Naruto was sent flying back into the wall he had previously crashed into. "Hmhmhmhm…. Hehehehe… HAHAHAHAHA! YES!" My new jutsu was a complete success. I was so amazed at how perfectly my jutsu was executed; I didn't notice the shifting feeling in my eyes until now.

Reveling in my satisfaction, I raised my fist, controlling a pillar of water to rise. I pulled back my hand and swiftly reached out towards Naruto, sending the water into him and the wall. 'Freeze.' I whispered in my head. "That's one down," I turned to Ino and Sakura; they were paralyzed in disbelief of what just happened. "And two to go…"

"Naruto…" Ino whimpered. "Grrr… You, MONSTER! ChaaaaaaAAAAAA!" She sprinted towards me in a righteous fury. Sakura called out, "Ino! Don't-" I raised my hand and bended the water into four pillars. "FREEZE!" I shouted, creating a prison of ice around Ino; her hands frozen in two of the pillars and her feet frozen to the ground. "Two…" I mumbled. I turned to Sakura. "And now… for you…" I grinned. This was just too easy. "Hopefully you will be more of a challenge."

Sakura fell to her knees. "What's wrong with you?" She said. "How could you be as young as us and have so much skill to work for the Akatsuki? Why did you join an evil group of kidnappers and murderers? More importantly…" She stood up. "Why do you not kill us? You know you are able to escape, so why not? ….. What do you have to gain? WHAT DO YOU FIGHT FOR!"

Her words and questions were trivial, but it got me thinking. I was still confused about what the Akatsuki was really about. 'Am I really working on the wrong side?' "I…" Lowering my head, I came clean. "I had no idea… I didn't know that they were as bad as you say… They… They wanted me when no one else might have. Could I really be just as bad as them? … Still…" I raised my hand. "I guess there's no backing out now…"

"No!" Sakura shouted. "It's not too late! You could still stop! You could join us!"

"I'm sorry…" I said. The moisture in the air condensed into a spear of ice, levitating above my hand. "But you were right about one thing…"

"Huh! What!" Sakura gasped.

I pulled my arm back. "I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!"

"EEK!" In a puff of smoke, Sakura suddenly became Ino. 'How!' I thought. The Ino frozen in my prison was really Sakura, disguised to look like Ino. "INO! GET OUT OF THE WAY!' She sreamed.

'Ino!' I gasped in my head. "NOOOOO!" With all the agility I could muster, I jetted from pool to pool; from where I was to in front of Ino. I stood infront of her with my arms spread wide and shouted, "Water-Style: Water barrier Jutsu!" A half-dome shield of water stood in a torrent in front of us. "FREEZE!" But it was too late. The spear shot through the water just before it froze and - SHWICK!

"Grgh… *cough**cough*….. damn it…"

Ino looked up, terrified at the atrocious scene before her. The spear pierced through my left shoulder. I could feel the frigid ice on and in both sides of my flesh, chilling it. Blood dripped onto the ground and down my arm in short streams. "Ta… Takūya… Why?" I turned my head, flinching in pain, and snickered. "Just don't… go… cryin' over it…" I shuddered in the agonizing pain, my arm growing numb, and body getting weaker. I lost all sense of balance, and I blacked out; falling to my knees, then onto my face.