Alright prepare for nothing but action…. Dun dun dun.
Stirring Emotions
Chapter 29
Team H had arrived in the early afternoon at Iroha's request. The team got their much needed rest for the night knowing that this new test needed to go better than last time. Saryie was eager to show off what they had been practicing. Michi was just happy that this test was taking place in the afternoon and Azumi was professionally analytical as always.
The three of them waited patiently as Iroha arrived right on time. He stood before them tall and proper as he greeted each of them.
"Alright are you three ready for your second test?" Iroha asked with a clear voice.
"Yes!" Saryie answered for the three of them, boastfully.
"Good. The rules are the same as last time. If the opposing team gets their hands on this kunai, the test is over and you fail," Iroha announced as he pulled a kunai out of his pouch and threw it on the ground. "Be prepared, and I wish you all luck," Iroha spoke before disappearing into the trees to spectate.
Quickly the three of them got into position, each pulling out a separate scroll. Michi rolled out his roughly and made quick hand signs to summon the pillars of stone Azumi needed.
"Eight stone summoning jutsu," Michi called out.
The pillars emerged evenly off in the distance as Azumi and Saryie prepared to transport their jutsu to the seals that were on the stones. Azumi unraveled her scroll precisely and Saryie did so too. They did hand signs simultaneously with each of them sending the same amount of chakra into the seals on the scrolls to combine their jutsu.
"Ninja Art, Transferring Water Clone Genjutsu," they both called in union as the jutsu was set.
Michi went to the spot where the Iroha's kunai was and sat next to it.
"Don't blow it this time," Michi remarked, teasingly as he smirked and made hand signs, his reptilian armor forming around him and the kunai in a giant dome.
"Pheesh, he has the easiest part," Saryie commented with the roll of her eyes as she saw Azumi pulling out some wire and senbon.
"What are you doing?" Saryie asked, curiously.
"Plan B."
The opposing team was fast approaching the targeted area, that was until they got swept up into the genjutsu that was triggered. They were surrounded by 100 clones or what looked to be clones.
Few of the members of the opposite team began fighting the clones but soon realized they couldn't hit them as their limbs would fade through the clones.
"These are mere illusions," Neji stated as he scanned the area with his byakugan
"A genjutsu?" Tenten voiced as she swatted at the illusions, making no real progress.
"Looks like it, such a drag," Shikamaru's voice came, annoyed as he was analyzing the situation.
"Well we just got to break out of it," Ino stated as she concentrated on breaking the genjutsu.
"That won't work; this is not an ordinary genjutsu," Neji stated as he eyes were looking at something that couldn't be seen. "It looks like this genjutsu was triggered by a seal and I spy several other seals in separate areas."
"Well how do we break it?" Tenten inquired.
"We have to take out the real clone," Neji answered.
"The real clone?" Choji asked, bewildered.
"How can you tell?" Tenten asked.
"These clones are all of Saryie… Azumi wouldn't make illusions of Saryie unless Saryie had a real clone hidden amongst them," Shikamaru stated, his eyes scanning the numerous clones.
"Precisely, it's a genjutsu to make you waste your energy fighting all the illusions as the real clone comes up to strike you. Once we kill the real clone the genjutsu should break," Neji spoke, as he was examining his surroundings.
"Where is the real clone then?!" Lee asked, exaltingly.
"There," Neji called out as he moved to strike at the water clone of Saryie that was behind Choji.
The water clone snapped and faded, breaking off the genjutsu. The team shook off their moment of fogginess as they realized they hadn't moved an inch from where they started.
"That was a tricky jutsu," Ino commented.
"Something I imagine Azumi came up with," Shikamaru drawled out.
"We need to head in a straight line to them, diverting to another path could set off another genjutsu of theirs," Neji claimed as he led his team to Team H.
Neji's team halted as they came closer to their intended target.
"Stop. There's trip wire and traps set in place," Neji stated, calmly.
"I don't see anything!" Ino whined as she was trying to eye the clearing Team H was at.
"Azumi must have cast another genjutsu on their presence," Shikamaru reasoned. "Can you see them Neji?"
"Yes. Azumi is standing on top of a dome shape barrier and Saryie is standing in front of it. They seem to be aware that we have broken their earlier genjutsu. I see Michi inside the barrier with the kunai," Neji replied as he gave more accurate details.
"My shadow possession jutsu can't stretch that far," Shikamaru muttered.
"Maybe I can get Saryie with my mind transfer jutsu if they're only just standing there," Ino offered.
"No, that's too dangerous," Shikamaru stated as he analyzed the situation.
"Where are the traps set? Maybe I can spring them and then we can move in?" Tenten asked Neji.
"That's not bad. In fact, I think that will work perfectly with my plan," Shikamaru stated as he divulged his plan.
Saryie was anxious as she waited for their unknown enemy. She had felt the transferring jutsu become activated and felt it disperse. She knew she wasn't the only one to feel it as she spied Azumi was on alert as she was examining the trees.
Azumi had set multiple lines of defense, casting another genjutsu to make the barrier invisible to the naked eye. Saryie knew because she could feel the genjutsu entering into her chakra network before breaking it.
"There's six of them," Azumi stated.
"Six? Well what the crap are they waiting for?" Saryie muttered.
The silence continued on for a moment and in an instant, kunai were thrown and shadows leapt out of the trees, faster than Saryie had anticipated. Among the dozen kunai that were thrown, three of them released the trip wire, springing free Azumi's traps.
Senbon flooded the ground as Saryie and Azumi dodged the other rogue kunai as Saryie heard a crackly voice call out "Human Boulder".
Saryie turned just in time to see Choji in boulder formation coming right to her. She jumped quickly out of his path but in mid leap she was surprised to see that Choji's rolling form did not pursue her. Choji's boulder leaped and bounced upward towards Azumi.
Before Saryie could call out to Azumi to warn her, something caught the corner of her eye as she saw a thin black shadow stretching towards her. Saryie was able to avoid getting her shadow caught by Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu, noticing he was out of range as he stayed out of site among the trees.
Azumi was able to anticipate Choji's attack and nearly dodged it as she jumped up seconds before he blundered through where she was. Azumi twisted in midair and saw the perfect place to strike as Choji rolled passed her down Michi's barrier. Azumi threw a paralyzing senbon towards Choji's form. He was coming down from his transformation jutsu and the senbon landed underneath his retracted arm.
It was a direct hit as Azumi scanned the training grounds, noticing most of her traps had been set off to no avail. Azumi spotted Saryie jumping from the shadow on the ground. They got one opponent out of the way, only 5 more to go. Azumi had to think fast as she had to avoid an upcoming attack from the rear as Lee sprinted up Michi's barrier.
Azumi didn't want to lose her position from on top of the barrier as Lee made speedy strikes at her. Azumi threw senbon hoping to scratch Lee at least, in hopes of immobilizing him.
Saryie knew this wouldn't be easy to fight team 10 along with Team Gai. Saryie tried to think ahead which was not one of her major skills, but she had to theorize what Shikamaru was thinking. Shikamaru always thinks ahead.
Before Saryie could think any further, she was bombarded with kunai and shuriken as Tenten ran out of the trees in order to distract her. Saryie had to dodge kunai while also being aware of the shadows on the ground.
"Rising Twin Dragons," Tenten called as she leapt up in the air, summoning more weapons at her finger tips.
Saryie had to move quickly and noticed how Azumi was fighting Lee. Saryie knew she be better at hand to hand combat with Lee than Azumi. Saryie quickly created a shadow clone of herself as her other half ran up the barrier to help Azumi.
Saryie's shadow clone soon intervened with Azumi and Lee's fight, giving Azumi just enough time to send a paralyzing senbon in Tenten's direction before Azumi was in a dueling match with Ino.
The senbon that Azumi threw barely scratched the surface of Tenten's arm as she tried to evade it in midair. Tenten tried to fight through the paralyzing effects as she sent many weapons down on them, until she could no longer move her body and fell to the ground.
Neji caught Tenten's descent and placed her down carefully, before he aimed his attack of gentle fist at Saryie. Saryie paid careful attention to Neji's moves, avoiding every possible touch of his hand. He fought against her close to Michi's barrier. His gentle fist barely missing her by an inch as he struck Michi's barrier instead.
Saryie felt her shadow clone disperse as she saw Lee had defeated it. Azumi was now facing Ino and Lee together, but Saryie couldn't mind that now as Neji continued to pursue her, trying to strike her. Saryie felt she should be inwardly happy, that in fact this was technically the first time she and Neji had ever dueled together, but Saryie needed to stay focused.
Saryie could see Azumi had lost her position from on top of the barrier as Lee and Ino followed after her. Saryie smirked as she knew Azumi still had one trap left untouched. Saryie heard the tripping of the wire before a whine of the target. Saryie glanced to see Ino had fallen from one of the paralyzing senbon that was sticking out of her thigh.
Saryie soon saw how Shikamaru's shadow was back and Saryie had to jump away from it as well as keep away from Neji. Frustrated, Saryie split off a couple of water clones from herself to head to the trees to find the shadow maker, keeping away from the shadows on the gorund.
As Saryie's water clones found the shadow maker, Shikamaru was smirking in victory.
"It's all over," Shikamaru stated, drily.
Saryie's water clones became confused before they were snatched in Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu and dispersed.
The sound of Michi's barrier breaking down, distracted Saryie as shock filled her before she was shoved away with a gust of air with Neji's air palm.
Saryie sat up to see how Shikamaru's shadow was connected to Michi's shadow from the shadow that the barrier casted.
"How?" Saryie asked breathless.
"You didn't think I was missing on purpose, did you?" Neji coolly remarked, as he blocked Saryie's path.
Saryie struggled to get up from her shaky limbs.
"I was attacking Michi's barrier, it's an entire stream of chakra all lively flowing in multiple ways. I merely was able to weaken a portion of it, creating a dead layer of skin to create a crack. That crack, would allow Shikamaru to enter Michi's barrier and possess the entire shadow of the barrier and everything in it, including Michi," Neji expressed.
Saryie grunted as she got up and tried to stop Shikamaru. Neji however blocked her, using gentle fist in order to immobilize her. Saryie could do nothing, but watch as Shikamaru walked freely out of the trees.
Saryie saw Michi mimic the action, with a kunai held in his left hand. Shikamaru marched forward with Michi meeting him half way. Shikamaru held out his right hand as his left moved for Michi to mimic. Shikamaru made Michi release the kunai and it fell into Shikamaru's hand.
Iroha appeared then, right in front of Shikamaru and Michi, declaring the test was over and that Team H failed once again.
At that moment Shikamaru dropped his jutsu and Michi was free to move. Michi soon dropped to his butt and all but sighed that it was over. Saryie saw Sakura soon run out of the trees then as she went to Ino, and began healing her senbon wound.
Iroha gathered Choji and set him aside Sakura as well, while Lee ran over to get Tenten to bring to Sakura. Azumi pulled out an antidote from her pouch as she handed it to Sakura. Azumi explained that it would lift the paralyzing affects quicker in under five minutes.
Sakura was grateful and so was the paralyzed victims who were tired of being paralyzed as they hummed their relief. The antidote was split among the three victims as Sakura continued to heal the minor injuries as the antidote took effect.
Saryie huffed. They were only able to take out 3 of the 6 and they were still unable to win. Saryie was definitely disappointed, also mostly annoyed with Neji.
Neji had come over to Saryie, kneeling beside her. She glared at him as he opened her chakra points once again.
"Don't look so bitter," Neji spoke, lightly.
"Don't look so smug then," Saryie grumbled, as she moved away from him.
Neji glared as he too moved away and went to check on his teammate Tenten.
Saryie picked herself up and went over to Michi's form that was lying on the floor.
"What was that?" Saryie commented.
"Don't blame me," Michi stated.
"I watched you! You didn't even fight Shikamaru's jutsu," Saryie accused, annoyed.
"I was spent! Do you know how much chakra it takes to keep up that barrier? I don't have much more chakra left," Michi said, defending himself.
"It doesn't mean you roll over and play dead!" Saryie retorted.
Michi waved her off as he closed his eyes, ignoring her.
"This is no one's fault, Saryie. We all have our role to play in this jutsu. This test is merely to show us our downsides and way to strength ourselves along with this jutsu," Azumi stated as she appeared, beside Saryie, her face solemn.
"She's right," Iroha spoke, addressing the team. "Like with any test, you can learn something from it. And even though you failed today, this test certainly lasted longer than the last. You are developing a stronger jutsu day by day. Just because you fail, doesn't mean you can't succeed," Iroha paused as he looked over his fellow team.
"You've still got a month left to get a better grip on that jutsu before we show case it to the Hokage. I'm wishing the best of luck to you three. You three are dismissed," Iroha expressed, evenly without a slight display of emotion as he headed over to talk with Sakura.
Team H sat beside each other as they gathered their strength, resting from the training session they had. Tenten, Ino, and Choji were soon able to move again and were in top shape. Once they were alright again, Iroha thanked team 10 and Team Gai for helping out and he thanked Sakura for the medical support.
Sakura and Ino soon headed out back to the village, Ino complaining about the wicked feeling the paralyzing poison gave her. Neji had soon departed as well wanting to head back home. Tenten soon followed suit, feeling a little nauseous from being paralyzed and from the antidote. Lee would have stayed to chat with Saryie, but gave an apologizing smile at Saryie as he helped Tenten back home. Saryie said goodbye to Lee and promised to see him soon.
Shikamaru and Choji sat in the training grounds with Team H, not willing to move so soon just like Michi. Choji opened up a bag of chips and happily began munching on them as Shikamaru laid back to look at the sky. Shikamaru offered some tips and advice on their jutsu which Azumi listened tentatively too while Michi tried to steal Choji's food.
Saryie dazed in and out of the conversation. Her body was exhausted, but she felt her brain working in overdrive as she thought about every second about her duel with Neji. She felt that she should have seen what his real target was. Her attention snapped to Shikamaru though as he called for her attention.
"Saryie, you are getting better."
Ok so long battle against Team Gai and Team 10 for Team H. Team H's defensive jutsu isn't perfect yet. It still has a few kinks and needs more progress. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. It's definitely action packed. Let me know what you think.
Review, please!
I appreciate any review I get no matter how small it is. :)
Disclaimer: I do not Own Naruto. I do own Azumi, Saryie, and Michi.
