"Kensha, weren't you labeled some kind of traitor?" asked Kouun. "You know, the whole tricking Shippuu into stealing that scroll."
"Well, you could say that," answered Kensha. "I must say though, you are quite well-informed."
Kouun then jumped off his tree branch and sped towards his former sensei with a Denki Sesshoku prepared. However, the ponytailed man caught Kouun's wrist and punched him in the chest. He then grabbed Kouun by the collar and slammed him into the branch. He then tossed him into the air a bit and kicked Kouun over to where he had attacked from.
"You're an idiot Kouun, using a frontal attack against your former taijutsu instructor."
"He's damn right about that," thought Kouun. "Not one of my best moments right there."
Kouun decided to make up for this mistake by taking out a summoning scroll. After making the appropriate hand seals, he used his Rakurai technique. A bolt of lightning shot forth from the center of the scroll. Kensha barely had time to dodge as the branch he stood on was annihilated. However, with a shift of balance, and an application of chakra, the former instructor managed to grab ahold of a branch above him. He swung himself on top of the branch and looked down at Kouun.
"It looks like you've learned a new trick over these past months," he said to his former student.
"What's going on here?" wondered Kouun. "Sure he was an instructor, but I'd expect these kinds of movements from Sora-sensei."
Kouun then threw a kunai at Kensha, but the traitor waited until the last second to throw a kunai of his own, deflecting the kunai at just the right angle that it would go straight up. He then jumped after the kunai and threw it in mid-air. This unexpected maneuver caught Kouun off-guard and the kunai landed right above his right kneecap. The preteen quickly pulled the knife out, but had to clutch his knee in pain.
Kensha wasted no time however. He jumped over right next to Kouun and kicked him into the tree stem. He then walked over nonchalant and grabbed his throat.
"J-just what is it that you want?" asked Kouun through his pain.
"Not what," replied Kensha. "But who. And who would that be? Simple, you, Kouun."
"So you want me you say?" asked Kouun with Kensha still grabbing his throat. "I'm flattered, but you've been rejected."
Kouun then detonated an explosive tag that he had set under him.
MEANWHILE, IN A DIFFERENT PART OF THE FOREST
The situation was dire. Hachuumaru's chakra levels had gone up over two hundred percent. Zenpou had been knocked out, and Shippuu was facing his best friend in the whole world. Things were looking pretty down.
The fight had somehow made it's way to the forest floor, and that was when all hell broke loose. Hachuumaru had regained use of his Doton abilities.
"Shippuu, you still have a chance to get out of here," said Hachuumaru. "Just take Zenpou and forget everything you saw."
"You know that I can't do that, Hachuu," replied Shippuu. "You've just taken down a fellow Konoha shinobi. That's something I can't ignore."
"Very well, Doton: Sasuyari (Earth Style: Stabbing Lance)!"
An earthen spike protruded from the ground and nearly went right through Shippuu, but the teenager jumped over it. He then spat a Goukakyou at his friend but the green haired teen blocked it with an Earth Shore Return. However, this was a mere diversion. Shippuu had activated his Chakra Yoroi and smashed right through Hachuumaru's shield only to find that he wasn't there.
"Where the hell did he-"
Shippuu was cut off by an uppercut from a fist made from dirt. Shippuu was knocked into the air but he got his bearings straight in time to land on his feet. However, he was captured by Hachuumaru's Doton: Akuma Haaku (Earth Style: Devil's Grasp). Hachuumaru then rose up from the ground.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go anymore, Shippuu," apologized Hachuumaru.
"What are you saying?" asked the orange haired teen.
"Simple, I'll answer all of your questions."
"Why did you skip out on your match?"
"Because I had an important mission to attend to."
"Why did you attack me and Zenpou?"
"Because you were getting in the way of my mission."
"…What is this mission?"
"I wouldn't ask that specific question if I were you," warned Hachuumaru.
"Answer. The. Damn. Question."
"I warned you…I need to get back to my home so I can file a report."
"And just what is this report?"
"A file on all the ninja graduates of this year up until the Chunin Exam."
"Wh-what?"
"Put the pieces together Shippuu. I'm. A. Spy."
"N-no…"
"I'm part of an organization seeking to unlock all the hidden jutsu of this world, even the ones locked away long ago. My mission was to pick out candidates to… 'join'… our little project. My idiot partner was supposed to steal your village's hidden scrolls but even he couldn't pull it off."
"What do you mean, your partner?"
"I think you remember Kensha, right?"
"You were working with that traitor!? Please tell me this is just a sick joke!"
"Sorry Shippuu, no joke. I'm a recruiter for the organization Karasu. This whole time I was getting close to you I was actually checking the combat potential of all our classmates. And I found the one who will be most useful. Not you, not Tsubame, no. The one who has the right motivation to join us."
"Who?"
"Well, duh, the one who wants power so he can prove himself. Kouun Raiden you dumbass."
"You mean, this whole time we were friends, you were…"
"Yup, I was using you in a conspiracy to steal the most sacred thing from you: your friend."
This was too much for Shippuu. Not only had he just learned that his first friend was a traitor, he was also using him so that he could kidnap his other friend. Shippuu's world was crashing in around him. So many thoughts were running around in his head, signs of evidence that he had missed before. And his brain did the only thing it could at the moment to protect his sanity. It shut off. And Shippuu fell unconscious.
"Funny, I never would have pictured Shippuu Uzumaki as a fainter," chuckled Hachuumaru. But I have a job to do. Sorry, Shippuu, but it looks like I have to kill you now."
Hachuumaru was about to reach for a kunai but then a fist collided with his face. It was Shippuu's and he had actually broken the Akuma Haaku. Shippuu looked up, but something was different. His usually cheery, green eyes had been glazed over and he was giving off an incredibly evil chakra.
"What the hell is this?" wondered Hachuumaru out loud.
He was answered when Shippuu's hand grabbed his throat. The demonic teen effortlessly lifted his former best friend and threw him at a tree trunk. Hachuumaru managed to stand up, but didn't find Shippuu anywhere. That is, until he felt the orange hair's leg come into contact with the tip of his skull. Shippuu then picked Hachuumaru up by his hair.
"I've heard of power like this before," thought Hachuumaru as he looked into the face of what seemed like the devil himself. "Is this like some sort of Jinchuriki? No, I'm pretty sure Konoha only has the Kyuubi, and half of the others have been sealed away by those guys in the Akatsuki."
Hachuumaru then quickly made the hand seals for another Stabbing Lance, but for some reason the earthen spear was destroyed right before hitting Shippuu. Upon closer inspection, Hachuumaru noticed that Shippuu was surrounded by what seemed to be an aura of chakra, a permanent Shinko Chakra Yoroi if you will.
"Now this is just perfect," thought Hachuumaru as he tried to come up with a plan to get out of this predicament.
MEANWHILE
Kouun had barely made it out of that explosion alive. He was charred and burnt, not to mention the number the impact of the explosion did on him. He was lucky to be alive after pulling a stupid stunt like that. He saw no trace of Kensha though, so he felt pretty good about it.
"Not bad kid," said a new voice.
Kouun turned around to see a fairly young looking man with short but shaggy brown hair. He wore a white shirt with a brown jacket and black khakis as well. His most distinguishing feature though, was his goggles that looked like a pair of fly's eyes.
"Who are you?" asked Kensha.
"My name is Ka Hae, but you can call me Ka-san," he chuckled.
"That's a really bad joke…" complained Kouun. (note: okaasan is the Japanese honorific for mother, but the 'o' sound is usually left out… at least when I hear it)
"I don't need to hear that from a guy whose half-dead. You see, the joke's on you."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Kouun.
Kouun was the thoroughly disgusted when he saw a mosquito crawl out of Ka's nose. The insect bit Ka on the wrist and then flew over to Kouun. The preteen was too battered and injured to swat the pest away so he just let it bite him. Kouun had expected just a slight itchy sensation, but instead a searing pain coursed through every vein in his body. He looked over in his pain and saw Kensha step out of the shadows right next to Ka.
"Nice going, sempai," complimented Kensha. "Should we take him with us now?"
"No, he'll come to us of his own free will one day soon."
Kouun fell unconscious as the two cohorts left him in the forest.
MEANWHILE
"Shippuu" was pounding away at an earth shield that had surrounded Hachuumaru. Inside the barrier, Hachuumaru was terrified. Who could blame him, he was covered in cuts and bruises, but outside the barrier was even worse. For more than a thirty yard radius, trees were either burned or uprooted, and the ground was charred, scorched, and damaged in almost any way possible. Hachuumaru had currently depleted about one third of his chakra supply just maintaining his barrier.
Hachuumaru then noticed the barrier get penetrated by Shippuu's fist which had been wrapped in flame. He quickly deactivated the jutsu and jumped away as far as possible from his psychopathic foe.
"It's been fun, Shippuu, but I have to go," said Hachuumaru. "Horu Hebi no Jutsu (Digging Snake Jutsu)!"
In a quick flash, Hachuumaru had dug a whole and made an incredibly fast getaway. Shippuu was about to pursue him, but his body gave out and he fell to the ground unconscious.
~~~End Chapter~~~
Hachuumaru is a traitor, working with Kensha and the mysterious Ka. Kouun has been bitten by a strange mosquito and Shippuu has awakened some terrible power. What's next to expect in the beginning chapter of the next season: Resolution…
I. Have. FINALLY. Gotten. To. This. Point. In. The. Story!!! I've been waiting for this bit for a long time. I'm sorry if this chapter feels rushed but I got real into it and ended writing it in one day… finishing at 2:45 in the morning!! I guess you could call this a Christmas gift to you guys. This chapter marks a turning point in the story, if you liked some of the fight scenes in the story so far, YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THESE NEXT CHAPTERS. I'll admit that I'm not too good at writing story, and that I get that bigger rush out of writing fight scenes, but I assure you this story will only get better. I'm sorry for this little expose here too, I just feel really great right now!!!
See Ya Next Time!!!