Yes, I finally managed to finish this up :) Sorry it took me so long, but the last, few months of 2012 has been quite crazy for me... Hopefully, once 2013 begins, my free time won't be as limited.
I'd also wish to apologize, as this is the FIRST time I haven't answered any reviews given since the last update. It is my shame, but I really cannot do more then say that I'm truly sorry and hope that won't happen again. To those that decided to cast their votes in the Character Popularity Poll I'd also wish to thank and assure them that their votes has been counted for (making 3 characters tie for the top spot as of the publish on this chapter). And, on that note, I'd also like to remind everyone that THE FIRST CHARACTER POPULARITY POLL is still open (with the rules given in the previous chapter), so if you wish to cast your votes on your favorite characters in "Those...", feel free to put the list in your review.
With that said, let us move on to the newest installment of "Those..." as part of the Special Season Update:
Charter #21: The First Exam
Toramaru, Buryaku and Naraku walked down the stairs into a spacious room with a few bulbs dangling from the ceiling and a square-shaped platform, elevated in the middle. Emisu waved them through to walk up the stairs as they reached the top of the ring, located just a couple of meters above the floor. Neji was already awaiting them in the middle.
"Welcome" the jounin nodded towards the six, keeping his arms crossed. "Before the match, I'd like to point out few details that may prove useful to you guys; first – this is a team battle, simulating real-life situation. To that end you are allowed to use any technique or weapon you find necessary to achieve your goal" he announced, making sure everyone understood. "Secondly – you are declared victor if you'll manage to knock out all members of the opposing team, throw them off the ring or force the ones standing to surrender. Naturally, if the combatant dies, that means he or she is out of the match as well..."
"Oh yeah, good thing we cleared that up" Buryaku rolled her eyes at the statement, while Neji went on: "We wish to avoid unnecessary deaths, so in order to prevent that, I'll step in whenever situation is resolved, but even I can be late to do so, thus I advice you surrender whenever you determine the result is obvious. Lastly – it matters not on what grounds you leave the ring; if your foot touched the bunker floor, you are out of the match til the end of its duration. Are these rules clear?" he asked, receiving four nods from the gennin.
The double-pupil swamp-nin didn't bother to acknowledge the question and, in stead, gave out a maniacal laugh as he licked his lips, turning towards the three, creep-out Leaves. With a sigh, the jounin shook his head: "There's always a few brats that will obviously mean trouble..."
"I have a question, Hyuuga-san" Buryaku proclaimed, rising her hand and as Neji gazed at her, the kunoichi went on, taking that as permission: "Since the result is determined by last man standing, does that mean those that will get knocked out are disqualified from the whole exam, even if their squad emerges victorious from this battle?"
"Shikamaru's offspring, no doubt" the white-eyed man smirked under his nose as he answered the question: "Whether you'll be allowed into the next exam or not is decided purely on your results as a team in this test. That's all you need to know..."
"That's a relief then" the black-skinned swamp-nin stated in a deep monotone.
"If there are no, other questions, then let, then I want each of the squads to take opposite corners of the ring and we can begin" the proctor announced, making the gennin separate. Once they took their positions, Neji gave each team last, final glance, before he dropped his arm down: "BEGIN!"
In a flash the two swamp-nins jumped off the ring, landing next to Emisu, who gave the duo a quizzical look: "What are you doing? You were told there's no going back onto the platform, once you're out..."
"We already saw that Kawaridane was excited over this" the kunoichi with the pipe replied playfully, smirking widely under her nose. "If we were to stay on the ring, there's no guarantee of our safety" she added with a wink, making the young Nekko narrow her eyes.
Meanwhile the last, remaining swamp-nin, Kawaridane, let out another, mad laugh, ended with a few, deep breaths, almost as if he tried to calm himself down. In a blink of an eye he dropped to all fours and lunged at the three Leaves with the speed they could barely follow.
Toramaru was first to react and activating his Byakugan, he slid forward, filling his hands with chakra. Without coming to a stop, he hit the Sawa gennin's right wrist, throwing it off course, while he thrust his other hand out front, smashing it right into Kawaridane's chest, blasting the opponent back.
Gazing at the swamp-nin with his vein-engulfed eyes, he saw the disturbing shinobi flip in mid-air and land safely on all fours, the attack he just took having no, visible effect. With a pleased growl, the Sawa gennin resumed his assault, beating the distance between himself and the blond in a matter of moments, swinging his right arm straight at Toramaru's head.
The son of Hokage bended back, barely dodging the attack, and pushed his right hand forward, hitting his adversary's elbow as it zoomed before his eyes. Kawaridane let out a noise that could only be described as a hiss of delight, even as his lower arm twisted in unnatural manner.
Spinning on his foot, the swamp-nin threw a kick to the blond's stomach, but the white-eyed boy blocked the assault with his left palm and launched his right knee to the Sawa gennin's back, which he was now facing.
The attack connected with a crunching sound, much to Toramaru's horror, but that quickly turned into shock as Kawaridane twisted his neck, making his head turn half a circle, allowing his two pupils to stare at his prey.
"What the...?" he only managed to think as his adversary's arm went for his head again from the angle that simply wasn't humanly possible. With no time to block, the blond ducked under the horizontal swing, giving Naraku enough space to join the battle:
"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" the young Uchiha called out as his hands finished the chain of seals. Taking a deep breath, he gathered air in his lungs, releasing it the next instant in a form of long, fiery steam, which lashed at Kawaridane, harmlessly blasting above Toramaru's bended form.
The flames smacked the swamp-nin right in the face, pushing him back to the edge of the ring. Before he could fall off though, the Sawa gennin struck his claws into the ground, breaking his fall, along with few bones as a snapping sound echoed through the bunker. Twisting his body back to its rightful place, he moved his limbs freely, much to Buryaku's horror.
"Unless he's capable of releasing bones from their joints, this shouldn't be possible" she analyzed as a shiver run down her back. "But even if that was the case, that knee from Toramaru should've damaged his spine... there's gotta be something else in play here..."
"Creepy, little fella" Emisu concluded in her mind as Kawaridane massaged his burnt cheek gently. To most people surprise, the next moment he sunk his claws into it, ripping the skin off. Naraku's eyes widen as right before them the gaping wound on his opponent's face began closing, while skin regenerated at tremendous speed.
"There's no way those brats can beat Kawaridane" the black-skinned swamp-nin thought to himself, his expression rid of emotion. "After all, he was specifically created to annihilate his enemies... weaklings that are barely gennin won't even manage to make permanent damage, let alone bringing him down..."
"Buryaku..." Toramaru spoke, taking a few steps back as his adversary once more dropped to all fours, excitement written all over his face. "Now would be a really good time for one of your plans..."
"I..." the kunoichi began, nearly petrified at the sight as her body refused to even reach for her fans. "I..."
Seeing this, Naraku cursed under his nose as he shifted his gaze back to the enemy at hand. In a flash Kawaridane strafed left, appearing behind him faster then an eye can blink. More sensing then knowing, the young Uchiha leaned right, dodging a straight thrust from behind, yet the Sawa gennin's claws still managed to rip his side, inviting pain into his body.
Clenching his teeth, the rookie ninja spun around, picking a kunai from his hostel in the process. Without looking, he stabbed back, driving the knife into Kawaridane's chest. To no effect as his opponent merely purred before swinging his other hand, delivering a blow into Naraku's mid-section.
Sliding on the floor, the leaf-nin flipped and smirking, he performed another set of seals, placing something into his mouth: "Lets see if you're as tough on the inside" he thought as air gathered in his lungs once more, releasing a steam of fire, which traveled directly towards the kunai in Sawa shinobi's chest: "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"
"He tied a string to the knife in order to make a link" Neji quickly analyzed as the flames went through the kunai, hitting the wound. "Quite clever" he concluded as Kawaridane snarled at the pain, ripping the blade out. He didn't had time to recover though as Toramaru was already before him in a stance that was too familiar for the proctor.
"Jyuken po Hakke! Rokujuyonsho!" the blond called out as his hands bolted forward, closing two of the swamp-nin's tenketsu points. "Nisho!" he yelled as his arms backed, only to strike again, stronger and faster: "Yonsho!" he announced, his movement too quick for the swamp-nin to react: "Hassho! Jurokusho! Sanjunisho! Rokujuyonsho!" he finished as his opponent fell backwards, his body burning.
But just as it limply hit the floor, Kawaridane's body sprung back to life, allowing him to push himself up in a instant, his face twisted in a smile that could creep anyone out. Without delay the two leaf-nins flipped back as the Sawa gennin swung his arms at them. The instant they stopped however, the swamp-nin thrust his arm forward, making it shoot straight at the shocked duo.
"Without any hand seals?" Naraku's eyes widen as the claws closed in, his opponent's arm extending to inhuman length with the only thing keeping it attached to its owner's body seemed to be thin strings of muscle.
The attack hit the young Uchiha right in the chest, blowing the air out of his lungs as he collapsed to his knees. The claws sunk into the torso, digging through the skin as the pain struck him with full force. Kawaridane pulled his arm back roughly, making the yank pull out the blood, furthering the damage as it also forced a yell of pain from the Leaf gennin.
Toramaru gazed at his friend, surprised and worried, while his adversary's arm retracted, allowing the swamp-nin to charge forward on all fours, like a wild animal. The sight made Buryaku shiver as she observed the whole scene, cold sweat dripping down every inch of her body: "That guy... is not human!"
Jumping up as he reached his target, Kawaridane prepared his right arm to drop upon the wounded leaf-nin, but before the attack connected, Toramaru appeared in his way, slamming both his opened palms into the Sawa gennin's chest. As chakra surged through his hands, the blond put them into a spin, creating a drill, which blasted his adversary back, ripping the robe.
Hitting the floor with a 'thud', the swamp-nin instantly recovered, sending the white-eyed boy a death glare while a small stream of blood dripped from his mouth. With fury in his gaze, Kawaridane resumed his assault, in a flash appearing before the rookie gennin as he aimed an uppercut into Toramaru's gut.
The son of Hokage took a step back, barely dodging the attack, and countered, bringing his arms together from the sides. The impact, strengthened with chakra in his palms, twisted the hand his opponent used a moment earlier, seemingly breaking it in two spots with a loud 'crack'.
But, as the blond retreated his hands to present the swamp-nin with a follow-up, the Sawa gennin simply flapped his arm, making all bones return to their rightful place like he didn't take the hit at all. Toramaru didn't let that faze him as he launched his palm to Kawaridane's chin, pushing the latter's head back, creating an opening.
Spinning on his foot, the Leaf rookie threw his other arm back, slamming it into his adversary's chest and completing the circle, he thrust the other one under the throat, making the swamp-nin let out a choking sound as his body slid back.
As before, the combo proven ineffective with Kawaridane grabbing the blond's arm, stopping his own retreat. While the grip tightened, the white-eyed boy's face twisted in pain, allowing the Sawa gennin to aim his free hand into his opponent's left leg, piercing it with his claws.
Delighted with the success, Kawaridane jumped up, still holding tight to his adversary's arm and leg, and threw a double kick straight to Toramaru's chest. His eyebrows raised slightly as he felt his feet stop, despite not delivering the blow. As he took a closer look, he noticed that the leaf-nin's body got surrounded by a thin layer of chakra, while the boy himself send him a furious glare:
"Hakke Shou Kaiten!" the blond yelled as he started spinning, extending the sphere. In a flash the energy blasted the Sawa gennin back, burning his muscles as he hit the floor, leaving his opponent panting. By then Naraku managed to pull himself up and was already finishing another set of seals: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
Flames erupted from his mouth, instantly engulfing Kawaridane in the inferno that swept across the ring. The smell of a burning flesh made Neji twist his face in dismal as he now stood on the edge of the platform: "Almost hit me with that one" he noted, sending the young Uchiha a gaze. "Those two make a pretty good team... hope that swamp-nin survived; I should've acted sooner" he scolded himself, turning his Byakugan towards the smoke.
His eyes widen as a figure emerged from the ashes, its skin completely burned, in some spots to the bone. Only by the humanoid shape could one tell this must've been Kawaridane. But everyone took a step back as the burns began disappearing, skin spreading over the charred tissue. In a matter of second the swamp-nin returned to his twisted exterior, the only, visible difference being his destroyed robes.
"It doesn't matter how many times I see it" the Sawa kunoichi thought to herself as her body shook slightly. "It always creeps me out when he does that... a constant reminder he's not human..."
"Surviving something like that is a feat in itself" Emisu analyzed, a single drop of sweat appearing on her face. "But there's virtually no trace of any sort of damage! I've never heard of something like this before! Is that even possible?"
The swamp-nin cracked his neck as his eyes set on the two leaf-nins, who went into their fighting stance. Narrowing his eyes, his mind recalled a memory from years ago, as a deep, cold voice echoed in his head: "A wonderful specimen indeed... he really managed to live through all the procedures... we should take advantage of that... prepare the surgery for tomorrow; maybe we'll be able to get even more of him? What do you say... Kawaridane?" he man asked, making the gennin clench his fangs, despite his oppressor being nowhere in sight.
"I will not be butchered for your amusement!" he roared as his claws grew in length, blind fury written all over his face. "I'll sooner murder you and every, other person in this hole!" he proclaimed, shifting his attention to Buryaku, who still have not moved an inch. The blond paled as her limbs refused her every command. Rooted to the spot, to say that the girl was petrified at the sight would've been a tremendous understatement.
"This is bad" the Sawa kunoichi noted, fear getting to her as well. "He's totally lost it!"
In a blink of an eye Kawaridane lunged at her with saliva escaping his mouth. Madness has completely taken him as his vision became crimson red, his mind yelling one order and one order only: "Kill!"
"Shit" Toramaru cursed as he dashed towards the girl. "Buryaku, move!" he called, but to no avail; the kunoichi was frozen with fear. Seeing that there was no chance to reach her in time, the blond gathered chakra in his palm again and thrust it back, releasing the energy. The sudden surge gave him the boost he required, blasting his body forward.
In a fraction of a second he beat the distance, pushing Buryaku out of the way, not to mention out of the ring, as Kawaridane's claws closed in: "I won't make it with Kaiten" the white-eyed boy prepared for the blow and sure enough the next thing he knew was his flesh getting ripped by the sharp blade, bringing him to the floor, hard.
"I gotta do something" Naraku told himself, racing towards his friend. "Otherwise that psycho is really gonna kill him!" the idea gave him new strength as he ignored the pain. Reaching the swamp-nin, he spun on his foot, aiming a kick to the latter's face.
To his surprise, Kawaridane dodged the assault, ducking under, while he cut his leg in the process. The sudden blow made the leg give in, costing the young Uchiha his balance. But his back didn't even manage to hit the floor as his opponent let out another roar and jumped forward, pinning him hard to the platform.
With the rattle of his fangs, the Sawa gennin slashed at his chest, ripping the skin. Ignoring the yell of pain of his pray, he swung again and then once more. The plop of blood filled Buryaku's ears as she backed away from the ring, terrified. Toramaru, however, had other plans.
With a battle cry of his own, he slammed his palm to Kawaridane's back, putting in as much force as he could. Blood blasted from the swamp-nin's mouth, accompanied by another, cracking sound that echoed in the chamber.
The effect was instantaneous as the Sawa gennin placed his hands on the floor and pulled his body up, grabbing the blond's neck with his legs. In a twist he brought the Leaf shinobi to the ground, face first, and jump to his own feet, ready to strike with his arm, piercing right through Toramaru's face.
But just as the attack was about to sink into his head, Kawaridane's wrist got grabbed, stopping the assault immediately. The swamp-nin gave a displeased growl, letting air through the nose, as he gazed to the side, sending Neji a grim glare for spoiling his fun.
"The result of this match has already been decided" the jounin stated sternly, keeping his calm exterior. "Stand down" he ordered, but the Sawa gennin made no indication he was willing to listen. As Emisu prepared herself to step in, a frown escaped the teen's mouth as he yanked his arm free, walking away from the proctor, visibly annoyed and yet, surprisingly calm.
He joined his teammates without a word, the other two merely smirking at the outcome as the black-skinned boy couldn't help but comment: "Like this could've turned out any, other way..."
Instantly Emisu got to the young Uchiha and clasped her hands together, forming a hurried seal. In a blink of an eye green chakra engulfed her palms as she neared them to the gennin's skin, closing the wounds as tremendous speed. Neji walked over to her, a worried expression on his face; there was nothing he could do for the boy, but that was preciously why he asked the council to let the heir of the Nekko assist him; she was one of the top medic in the Leaf, a protege of Sakura herself.
After a few moments, Naraku gasped for air, most of his wounds healed. He lifted himself up, but the instant his arm rested on the floor, pain shoot through it, making him wobble as he grabbed the soaring limbs.
"I've managed to patch you up only" Emisu warned him, doing her best to keep a calm exterior, but even she couldn't hide the fact she was shaken by what happened. "Internal damage was much greater. Luckily, there was no permanent injury, so if you'll take it easy for a day or two, you should recover from most of it..."
"Day or two, huh?" the boy repeated, lowering his head. "Guess that failing the exam, I should have my time to rest, at the very least" he thought with dismal, gazing at his teammate.
Toramaru slowly rose back to his feet as well, anger and depression surging through his body as he walked alongside Naraku towards the edge of the ring to join their female friend, holding his bleeding shoulder tightly: "I cannot believe this; we fail already! And to a single gennin! His teammates didn't do anything! It was three on one and we totally got creamed!"
The realization struck like lighting as he gazed at his companions; Naraku tightened his fists from disappointment. This was certainly not the way he imagined the exam to proceed. Buryaku on the other hand avoided eye-contact all together. The blond could only imagine how she felt – not only was she incapable of helping, but actually got in the way. There really were no words of comfort that could work for her.
Neji quickly reviewed the two squads as he gathered air to speak, gaining the attention of all six: "Well then... lets proceed with the results of this match..."
-failed already?-
Didn't saw that coming, did you? :D Yes, Toramaru and his team lost the match, just as they were always meant to. And to all those, who also read my NNG – no, Kawaridane is NOT a redone Takai; the two are quite different, as you'll see in due time... while Takai could be considered stronger, I somehow find Kawaridane much more frightening... and more fun to write actually, coz while I REALLY like Takai, Kawaridane is more human, with more common, human urges, even if you may not see it yet ;)
Konoha #1 (Teigo Kinuta): Buryaku Nara, Naraku Uchiha, Toramaru Uzumaki
Konoha #2 (Lee Rock): Hinako Nekko (the redhead girl with a black cat, Kuroki), Gaki Nayamasu (the muscular boy), Gai Rock (the boy with a bowl-like haircut)
Konoha #3 (Shikamaru Nara): Shunrai (the girl with a crush on Toramaru), Choumaru Akimichi (the chubby boy), Gitou Hisakata (the coughing boy)
Konoha #4 (Hinata Uzumaki): Gouka Uchiha (Naraku's twin sister), Kumo Aburame (the boy in green overcoat), Garou Inuzuka (the boy with the dog, Hanomaru)
Konoha #5 (Hasaki Kinzoku): Hitomi Hyuuga (white-eyed girl), Jun Hatake (the masked teen), Shimiru Abunage (the blond with piercings and a skateboard)
Konoha #6 (Hiyoko Shinku): Akemi Nekata (green-haired girl), Akai Kagami (the redhead), Akumo Megane (the boy with glasses)
Konoha (?): Madoka Garasu (the girl with gems), Kouhai Shimura (Danzou's cousin), Monuke (the pale-skinned boy)
Suna #1 (?): ? (girl with metal protectors), Kobura (the boy in black), Sabaku no Shikyo (the boy with the gourd)
Suna #2 (Kankuro):? (the girl with the gourd), ? (the boy with a headgear and scrolls), Fuugo (the masked pipsqueak)
Kumo (?): Juryoku Kakeme (the blue-haired girl), Fukaru Makaze (the blond boy), Aitou Mekakushi (the blind-folded boy)
Ame (?): ? (the kimono wearing girl), Shunsai Irezumi (?), ? (the boy with a headgear)
Kane (?): Moroha Gengetsu (the girl with a crescent-moon blade), Toukai Kurogane (the violet-haired boy), Kousotsu (the armored boy)
Kusa (?): ? (girl in a yellow kimono), Kouba Ibara (the boy in worn-out clothes), Nekkei Utsuru (the sick boy)
Taki (?): Kitou (the girl with a praying stick), ? (the boy with a large scroll), Sayoku (the boy with bandaged mouth)
Yuki (?): Orafu Futotta (the fat guy with the shield), Erikku Hakabakashi (the redhead), Balegu Seiretsu (the swordsman)
Sawa (?): ? (the girl with the pipe), Kawaridane (the double-pupil teen), ? (the black-skinned teen with drums)
Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Skill)
Jyuken po Hakke: Rokujuyonsho (Gentle Fist Style: Sixty-Four Palms)
Hakke Shou Kaiten (Heavenly Spin)
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Skill)
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and found it worth waiting for. With 2013, I hope to get more free time for more frequent updates, so keep your fingers crossed ;) But, until then, I'd like to wish you all MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you in 2013 ;)