XX - Round Two. Fight!
The second round of the Chunin Exams was just minutes away from beginning and I felt oddly calm. With the jitters of the first round completely gone I was actually looking forward to this fight and taking on the Mist boy one-on-one.
I stood with Akiko on the competitor's platform above the arena, both of us leaning casually against the railing as we watched Shikamaru prepare for the fight with the other governing officials. Of course, he was the referee in these Chunin Exams but there were other important people that he needed to convene with before they could start. Including an assembly with the captains of our squads.
Speaking of which, our squad captain Hiroka seemed to be in a heated discussion with the captain from the Mist.
"What do you think they are arguing about?" Akiko asked.
I shifted my gaze over to where my opponent, Tachi, was waiting just a few yards away from us. "Probably our fight. Hiroka-Sensei was concerned about Tachi's intentions coming in to this round."
It was no secret that since meeting in the Forest of Death that there had been some animosity among the Genin from the Sand and the Mist. Especially after I had forcefully removed Tachi's squad mate from the competition. Though it was fully deserved, it didn't change anything. Tachi still blamed me for the fight in the forest. I hadn't started it but it was my fault somehow. Go figure.
Akiko snickered, "Yeah, that makes sense. He does want to kill you." He shifted so his back was leaning against the railing, he turned his head to me, "You got him though." He concluded. "Right?"
Was he second guessing me? I arched my brow and focused my attention back to the centre of the arena "He's strong. And smart. But he's also angry. He'll likely do something stupid because of it. I can take him."
Akiko grinned and then stretched his arms out in front of him, "Glad one of us is feeling confident." He blew out a breath, "I don't think I have a chance in hell against Uchiha."
I was just about to argue that point and defend Akiko's talents as a shinobi when the man himself showed up. His ears must have been ringing...
"You're right, you don't." Sora proclaimed with a cocky grin as he idled up, squeezing between us and putting one hand on each of our shoulders.
He looked better today. No glasses - not that he looked bad in them - and the bags under his eyes were gone.
"Hey. Don't count him out." I said shrugging away from Sora's touch, "He did beat your squad mate."
"I'm not Kaito."
Akiko mumbled obscenities under his breath. He and Sora had a tense friendship.
"No, But Akiko is a better shinobi than Kaito." I responded. A little playful jab at my friend.
"Ouch," He laughed, "Not wrong though."
Akiko smirked.
"So," Sora started, "You ready for this fight kids?" He asked, glancing over to Tachi and then back again.
Akiko and I answered simultaneously.
"Yes."
"No."
We shared doubtful glances and Sora snorted a laugh. "You Sand siblings kill me."
He was completely back to his old self it seemed.
Suddenly, static came over the large speakers that were mounted all over the arena and then Shikamaru's voice came out loud and clear.
"The second round of the Chunin Exams is about to start." He announced, "There will be two rounds today. The first fight is Kimimaro Kaguya of the Sand versus Tachi Kobayashi of the Mist. Fight two is Akiko Okamoto of the Sand versus Sora Uchiha of the Leaf."
At the mention of Sora, the Leaf Villages last and most promising competitor, the crowd went wild - a chorus of cheers and loud claps flowed like a fast running river around the stadium.
"Ten minutes and we begin!" Shikamaru continued after the crowd settled down again, "Kimimaro, Tachi. Please prepare yourselves and take your places."
The microphone was handed off and immediately the crowd began a dull chatter.
"Well. This is it." I stated.
"It is. Listen to me, Kimimaro." Akiko gave me a stern, brotherly look, "Tachi is an asshole. Don't let him get under your skin and… be careful," He said in support, "You got this, little brother."
I nodded my head with conviction.
Not on to be left out, Sora stopped me from following Tachi off the platform by gently grasping my forearm, "Akiko is right. He is an asshole, and he is not going to go easy on you so don't give him any reason to doubt just how good you are. You. Got. This."
A small smile broke my usual stoicism, "I'm going to be fine. I'll see you on the other side."
From the platform, I entered a covered staircase and walked calmly down the steps before entering out into the arena. Tachi was waiting for me and already scowling in my direction - as he usually did. Shikamaru looked about as bored as normal.
I bowed my head in greeting as I approached, "Lord Shikamaru. Tachi."
Shikamaru smiled and gestured for me to quickly come closer while Tachi continued looking sour, apparently being courteous and responding when spoken to was above him.
"I know there is some… hostility between you two so let me begin by saying this. We are from allied nations. These one-on-one battles are to display the strengths and talents of our villages next generation of shinobi - to those that may one day require our services. We do not fight to kill each other. Do you both understand this?"
"I understand," I affirmed.
Tachi remained silent, still glaring at me, but he managed a slight and absolutely unconvincing nod of his head. He had outright threatened to kill me and that hadn't seemed to change. He hated me, he really hated me. I supposed Shikamaru knew this too hence his little pre-fight speech.
"Need I remind you that I have the power to intervene and end the fight if I deem it necessary, so I expect you to play fair," He asserted, "Now. Are you ready?"
"Yes," I confirmed.
"Ready," Tachi finally spoke.
Shikamaru turned his microphone back on and addressed the crowd, "The fight is about to commence." He looked first at Tachi and then at me, "Good luck Genin."
He retreated to the sidelines leaving Tachi and I alone in the centre of the arena.
I flexed my fingers at my sides, my sight now completely set on my opponent. I had a feeling he would wait for me to make the first move and now, well he certainly looked placid - like he was not about to get into a fight at all. Or maybe he was just measuring me up? Calculating. But he was waiting for something.
Finally, he took a step to his right, and then another. He began to circle me. Slowly.
I immediately took up a defensive pose, though I remained calm and ready, watching.
"You know, I did a lot of research in the past week." Tachi spoke smoothly, almost eerily, "Found out some interesting things about you, Kaguya. Very. Interesting."
Like a shark, he continued to circle, snapping his teeth. I kept my mouth shut, observing his every step he made for any indication that he was about to attack.
"Want to know what I found out?"
"Not really." I offered nonchalantly.
I had no interest in hearing what he had found out about me and wasn't going to wait around to find out. If he wasn't going to start this fight, then I would. It was time to test the waters, so to speak. Tachi was a water style user after all, which was weak against my earth style. I would get to that but first...
Without warning, I began my offensive. I took off at a sprint, ready to confront my opponent up close and personal, to see how his Taijutsu skills stacked up against mine.
A brief flash of shock registered in his eyes as I neared him. He hadn't expected me to strike so quickly, not when he was attempting to engage me in a conversation. His research had already failed him. He knew nothing about me, if he did, then my offensive attack, at close combat range, should not have come as a surprise to him. That was my speciality.
I met Tachi head on and managed to land a firm palm strike against one of his shoulders which sent him stumbling backwards. He regained his footing quickly and blocked the second and third marks by raising his forearms, one and then the other. But that left his lower torso open and vulnerable. My open and perfectly flat palm met his abdomen, and the velocity of my arm combined with the strength of my hit sent Tachi flying backwards a few feet.
A cloud of dust rose around him as he landed in the dirt.
I fell into a traditional kokutsu dachi fighting stance, on the offence and ready to charge once again.
Tachi coughed which curiously turned into a malicious sounding laugh. He pulled himself back up to his feet and glared at me, "I know who you are." He began and then turned his head to the side to spit, "I know what you are." He spat out again, with a big emphasis on the word what.
My brow furrowed hard. He really wanted to talk now? After all that silent treatment he now wanted to have a conversation? During our fight? I was sure he was just trying to get to me, to irritate me and throw me off my game.
Whatever it was, I wasn't going to dignify any of it with a response. I wasn't going to play his game.
Again, I attacked. But this time he was ready for me. He retrieved two large shuriken from his weapons holster and fired them in my direction, one right after the other. I dodged them easily, skidding once left and then right before clashing with him again. This time, he didn't just defend himself from my fast palms and damaging blows, he fought back, and we began to melee.
As I had expected, he wasn't as agile or as strong as I was when it came to Taijutsu. I hit him hard multiple times before he growled out in frustration, unable to retaliate, and sprang back away from me coming to a skidding halt.
"Tell me Kimimaro, haven't you ever wondered why you look identical to your father?"
"No, actually. I haven't." I replied with a sigh. Tired of his words, I wondered how smart his mouth would still be when he was about to be crushed by my jutsu...
I widen my stance, planting my feet firmly on the ground and pressed my palms together to focus my chakra. The hand seals came to me almost as naturally as breathing - Rat, Snake, Tiger. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave!"
Tachi swayed as the ground around him rumbled and then a large section of earth breached the surface. Immediately, the wave of rock surged forward towards my opponent. He was quick enough on his feet to avoid the initial attack, darting back and forth to avoid being hit but I kept my hands clamped together, manipulating the terrain around him and following his every move. He would tire in no time.
Finally, the rock formation clipped one of his legs. He tripped and toppled forward but managed roll to the side just as he landed, once again dodging the jutsu and the wall of rock that was bearing down on him. On his back now, I could just make out the hand seals he was forming in defense.
"Water Pillar Thrust!"
Below me came a rush of water, throwing me off balance and knocking me backwards off my feet. I jumped back up, regained my footing instantly, and just in in time to see my rock wave crumble to pieces around him. My jutsu had broken.
But that wasn't all I had in my arsenal and I needed to act while Tachi was still sorting out his composure.
With a quick shift, I picked two kunai out from the weapons holster at my thigh and gripped one in each hand. Tachi growled and matched me with his own weapons. We came together with a loud clang, metal against metal as we engaged in combat once again. But he was still unable to match the speed of my weaponized Taijutsu. I lodged one kunai into his body, right between where his arm and shoulder met, effectively disabling that arm from the fight.
Or at least it should have.
A loud cry echoed around the arena, Tachi was hurt that was clear, and extremely angry, but to my surprise he did not retreat, and he did not back down, instead he lifted that injured arm and grabbed a handful of my shirt just below the collar, tugging me closer until we were just a breath apart.
He bared his teeth, and looked me straight in the eye, "It's amazing what you can learn if you just ask the right people."
"What are you talking about?" I hissed.
"You see, all I wanted to know was how I could beat you in this fight, so I could then kill you. But what I learned, Kimimaro, oh, it was so much more valuable. And I wondered. Do you know?"
I struggled in his grasp, losing hold of the remaining kunai I had in my hand.
"Let me tell you," Tachi gripped tighter, and leaned in closer, "You, Kimimaro. You shouldn't exist. You were a lab experiment. Created in a tube."
"Shut up!" I pushed frantically at his hands in an attempt to get him to release me, "You're wrong! You're lying!"
"You are a fucking clone!" He growled out, teeth snapping in anger, "That's why you look identical to your father!"
What?
The world around me froze, colours dull, and sound muffled, as I tried to process what he was implying. No. That couldn't be right. Momentarily stunned by his declaration, I had let my guard down, for just a moment, but it was enough time for him to assault me. Before I could register what was happening I was falling backwards, and a sharp pain shot across my jawline. I hit the dirt with a hard thump.
His heavy footsteps approached, slowly but steadily, and the glint of the sun hitting something metal flashed in his hand.
I launched up, back to my feet, my hands immediately coming up in defense. But he didn't attack again, no, it seemed he had so much he wanted to say. And admittedly, part of me wanted to know where he was going with all of this. A clone? Come on. Where had he gotten that kind of information...
"You bleed like a normal person, but you are anything but normal." He sneered.
"There is nothing wrong with me, Tachi. But you, now you seem to have some serious emotional issues." I lifted my arm and with the back of my hand, I wiped a small trickle of blood away from the corner of my mouth. In doing so I found another cut, high on my cheekbone, the tip of a kunai had cut through my skin.
He cackled maliciously, "Your poor mother."
"Shut up!"
"She was used. Nothing more than an oven to spawn… you." He said in disgust.
"Shut up! Don't you dare talk about my mother!" I gritted my teeth.
"And here you are." He continued, "A monster, just like your Father. Though at least your Father could use that horrid Kekkei Genkai of yours without dying."
And then it hit me.
Rage. Uncontrollable, unfathomable. My anger spreading like a wildfire within every aspect of my being, inside and out.
I could feel the cursed seal at the base of my throat begin to thrum with warm energy and enhanced levels of chakra immediately began to radiate outwards from the marking; snake like tendrils infiltrated my inner network at an alarming pace and were taking over. There was nothing I could do to stop it, I didn't want to stop it. It was time to let it all out.
I cried out and clenched my fists, my teeth pressing down against each other so hard that I felt they might break. I was losing control and my usually dormant Shikotsumyaku was responding eagerly to my breakdown, awakening the Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai with a burning fury, my curse seal fueling the revival.
Hot lines of flickering fire licked at my face, revealing my curse and leaving dark markings in their wake. The transformation was well underway.
Tachii sucked in a harsh breath and his eyes widened in horror. To put it mildly, he looked terrified. Though strangely enough, also proud of himself, for being the one to get me there.
Was I the monster that he had described me to be?